


The School Years

by 1ethereal1



Series: Heart to Heart [2]
Category: Schitt's Creek
Genre: Anxiety, Children, Cute Kids, Domestic, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Future Fic, Heart Surgeries, Illness, M/M, Married Life, Miscarriage, More one-shots than actual plot, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:13:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 40,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24852895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1ethereal1/pseuds/1ethereal1
Summary: The Brewer-Rose Family are adding another one to the pack.
Relationships: Alexis Rose & David Rose, Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Stevie Budd & David Rose
Series: Heart to Heart [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1692568
Comments: 109
Kudos: 120





	1. We'll Try Again

**Author's Note:**

> This is kind of a prologue? In a way? These first two parts are a lot more serious and somber, but don't worry we'll have happy times soon!!! I'm also not a doctor or know a lot about pregnancies/medical stuff so I'm sorry if I get anything wrong! Hope you enjoy!

It was a Friday evening. David and Patrick were having Stevie over to dinner so they could ask her something. She was going to come straight there from the airport. It’s been the longest time she’s been away; 2 weeks. David thought for a few days that he was going to go insane from not having an outlet to talk to other than Patrick. Beth missed having her Aunt Stevie around. 

The three were in the kitchen; Patrick was making the lasagna, David was sipping his glass of red wine, and Beth was entertaining their new puppy, Redmond, a half corgi, half dachshund. David only agreed to get the dog because it was the same breed that the Queen had. 

Suddenly the doorbell rang, and they ran over to let Stevie in. David opened the door and immediately hugged his friend. “Thank God you’re back.” 

“Aunt Stevie!” Beth called out as Stevie picked her up. 

“Hey, cutie.” She kissed her niece on the cheek. “Did they survive?” Stevie jokingly asked Patrick. 

“Barely.” Patrick replied, laughing. 

David lightly hit him on the arm. “I can’t believe you two.” 

It was later in the night and Beth had gone to bed. David was on his third glass of wine, trying to remain calm. Patrick was finishing his beer, not knowing what to do.

Stevie knew something was up. “What’s going on?” 

Patrick averted his eyes. “I don’t know what you mean.” 

“You’ve barely made any eye contact with me.” Stevie pointed out. “And David has barely said a word all night, which is definitely odd. Something’s going on.” 

Patrick and David looked at each other, conjoining hands. “We have something to ask you.” Patrick told her. 

Stevie sighed. “You want me to be your surrogate, right?” Stevie questioned. “Sorry if I ruined the moment…..I kinda knew.” 

They both opened their mouths. “How?” David asked.

“Well you both told me you wanted to start a family. David told me you guys were going to do surrogacy. I am probably number one on your list of people to ask.” Stevie explained. “I love Twyla, but a little flighty let’s be honest. And Alexis lives in New York. Which leaves me. And to be honest, you guys can’t afford to get someone that you don’t know.”

Patrick nodded. “You’re good.”

“Thanks.” Stevie smiled. 

“Well, we picked out a donor egg. We actually went through binders of options. So all you’ll do is carry the baby. And give birth to it.” David explained, casually. “Obviously, you don’t need to tell us now. Although we would prefer it.”

“No big deal.” Stevie scoffed jokingly. She leaned forward, setting her glass down. “Look, I’ve thought about this for awhile. I even was gonna offer to be a surrogate for you two if you didn’t ask. I do have some hesitations because of my job and everything, but that’s going to be manageable. I’m sure your dad and I can figure something out.” She cleared her throat, smiling. “I want to do this for you two. I’ll be your surrogate.” 

David twisted his mouth, water coming to his eyes. Patrick was already standing up, hugging Stevie. “Thank you.” He said. 

David joined the hug, putting his head on Stevie’s shoulder. “We owe you.” 

The next few months were hard for all of them. At their checkup, they found out that Patrick had fertility problems, but they continued their course with high hopes. Miraculously, Stevie got pregnant quickly. She told them right away when she found out. 

Everything seemed to be going well. Stevie had the common morning sickness and aches, but nothing major or unusual. David was secretly planning the baby shower and trying to figure out a way to tell Beth. Patrick spent most of his time when he wasn’t working scrolling through Google and Webmd, trying to find answers to his endless questions. 

Then it got bad. Around the two month mark, Stevie called in hysterics at 3 am, saying she was bleeding and in pain, that something was wrong. The couple dropped Beth off at Twyla’s apartment and rushed over to Stevie’s. The door was already unlocked so they walked in. 

“Hey, we’re here.” David called out, without any emotion. He didn’t know how to feel. Was he supposed to feel sad? Was he supposed to be supportive? He wasn’t sure. Patrick stood like a stick figure next to him, not moving an inch.

Stevie was curled up on her bed, her baggy graphic t-shirt she was using as a nightshirt was stained red. They could hear her sobs from across the apartment. 

“The ambulance should be here soon.” She whimpered, clutching her stomach. 

They walked over to her. David went and sat next to her, stroking her head. Patrick kneeled next to her, holding her hand. 

All of a sudden they were in the Elmdale Hospital Emergency Room. Their gynocologist explained that Stevie had a miscarriage. She also told them that once they were ready, they could try to do another embryo transfer. They all gave her pained nods, not wanting to say anything. 

“Beth didn’t even know.” Patrick whispered to himself, so softly no one else could hear. 

For a week, they closed the store. They should’ve closed it longer so they could heal longer, but they couldn’t lose that much money. David went to work and dropped Beth off, leaving Patrick in their bed. Patrick refused to go into work. He never moved from his side of the bed. He didn’t eat and barely talked to anyone. He was grieving differently than David was, but it didn’t mean one was grieving more than the other. 

“Patrick, you gotta talk to me.” David pressed, feeling useless. “Please.”

“What do I even talk about?” He mumbled. 

David laid next to him, rubbing his back. “It’s not your fault.” 

“I can’t believe you said that.” Patrick complained, shaking his head. “It is my fault. It’s all of my fault. The doctor looked at Stevie and said she was so healthy and had a good bill of health. He looked at me and basically said I was broken.” 

“We can try again.” David pointed out. 

“I don’t know if I want to.” Patrick huffed out. “Too much hurt.”

David took that harshly. Without saying anything else, he left the room to go make Beth her dinner. 

“Daddy? Is Poppy okay?” Beth asked, eating her mac and cheese. 

David opened his mouth, not sure what to say. “Yeah, he’s just sad right now.” 

“Okay.” Beth nodded. “Can I draw him a picture?” 

David nodded, smiling. “I’m sure he would love that. C’mon, wanna go for a walk?” 

They walked around their neighborhood, Redmond walking a few paces ahead of them. David held on to Beth’s hand to make sure she didn’t go running off. 

“Daddy?” Beth asked. 

“What’s up?” David looked at her. 

“When am I going to have a little sister?” She asked innocently. 

David swallowed his tears coming up. He was still sad about it, it was still fresh for him too, and that certainly didn’t really help. “Soon, I promise. Just not right now. Your dad and I are happy with just you and Red for now.” 

Beth just nodded, not asking another question. David and Beth made their way to the cafe, sitting on the patio, both sharing a brownie sundae. 

“Oh, bug, you’re making a mess.” David laughed, wiping a napkin across her chocolate stained face. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Can we bring Poppy back something?” Beth asked with her bright eyes. There she goes with her thoughtfulness that she clearly didn’t inherit from David. 

“Of course. What do you think he’ll like?” He asked. 

“A grilled cheese and fries.” Beth answered quickly. “With a caramel milkshake. It’s his favorite. He told me.” 

David smiled as they walked home with the food in hand. When they walked back in the house, David turned to his daughter. “Stay here for a second, okay? You can work on your picture.”

Beth nodded, already pulling her crayons and paper out of it’s signature drawer in the kitchen. 

David lightly knocked on the door, letting himself in the room. He set the food down on the nightstand. Patrick was fast asleep, not even under the covers. David knew Patrick hadn’t slept in a long time, but he needed to eat something. He observed his husband’s features. His eyes were sunken and dark, his body was thinner, his hair was messy, his hygiene wasn’t the best, but David didn’t care. 

“Hey, Pat, come on.” David whispered, rubbing his back. “You gotta wake up, eat something.”

Patrick rubbed his eyes, raising his head. “What time is it?” 

“7 pm. Beth and I went on a walk and we brought food home for you; grilled cheese, fries, and a caramel shake. Beth said it was your favorite.” David gave a half-smile. 

“It is.” Patrick nodded, trying his best to show a smile but it wasn’t working. “How is she?”

“She’s worried about you. She asked how you were.” David answered honestly, knowing that Patrick was genuinely concerned. 

“I don’t want her to be scared of me.” Patrick sighed, lowering his head. 

“She isn’t and she never will. I think Beth loves you too much.” David told him, telling the truth. 

Patrick knew David was right. Beth loved her fathers so much, and they loved her more than the world. She brought light and joy into their world, one that was dark and incomplete without her. Patrick didn’t care that Beth wasn’t his biological daughter, he was going to be the best dad he could be. And he knew Beth didn’t care either; that’s how strong their love is.

“Can you eat?” David asked. 

“I can try. I will.” Patrick nodded, motioning for the food. David gave him the takeout container and the cup. “Can you bring Beth in?” 

“Yeah.” David nodded, getting up off of the bed.

Suddenly there were footsteps running in the hallway, jumping onto the bed, in the spot next to him. Beth handed Patrick a picture for him. “It’s for you, Poppy. Daddy told me you were sad.” 

Patrick sniffled, looking at the drawing. It was the three of them and Red in front of their house. It was simple, but perfect. Patrick brought Beth closer to him and kissed her head. “Thanks, Bethie.” She cuddled into Patrick’s side. 

Patrick managed to eat more than half of his food (mostly because Beth stole most of his fries). The next day, Patrick got out of bed and did some light housework. Five days after, he made it to the store. Four weeks later, he told David he was ready to try again. 

“What made you change your mind?” David questioned him as they were re-shelving products. 

“I realized that we still have a chance, I don’t want to lose it. I don’t want to give it up. I know when we’ll hold our baby, it will be the happiest moment of my life. I’m willing to grieve and be sad on the way there if that means I’ll be happy at the finish line.” Patrick explained. “I also talked to my mom about it and she gave me some encouraging words.” 

David smiled, kissing his husband. “I’m ready, too.” 

Three months later, Stevie was pregnant again.


	2. Tea Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick goes to talk to his mom in need of some clarity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a little longer to write. I wanted this chapter to be more around 2000 words and tried to write more stuff, but none of it was really genuine so I deleted that part and kept the parts I knew I liked. Hope you enjoy! Feel free to leave any suggestions or ideas!

Once Patrick was able to get out of bed and walk around the house again, he decided to take a trip. He couldn’t bear to see the same walls day after day anymore. He would go to the store, but he wasn’t ready quite yet for the personal questions and small talk yet. 

Once Beth and David left for the day, Patrick got into his car and sent a quick text to his husband.

Going to visit my mom. Hopefully home before dinner. Love you xx

Patrick turned on the radio, humming along to any song that came on. He didn’t really know why he was going to visit his mom, he just woke up with the idea to go talk to her. 

Marcy was always the best person growing up. He could go to her for anything when he was younger and he still does now. Even if it was help on a math problem he couldn’t understand, Marcy would always try to explain it to her son. She didn’t care if she had a double shift at the hospital or not. She would stay there at the kitchen table with him until they figured it out. 

Patrick had a different relationship with his father, Clint. He was still great and amazing, but he was busy all of the time. Even if he wasn’t at the office and at home, it still felt like he was working. Clint wanted Patrick to be the best he could be. He was the one that helped Patrick get ready for baseball tryouts and wouldn’t let him stop no matter how tired he was. 

Patrick remembered the year he turned ten, his parents got him a guitar. They both knew how much he wanted one and saved up for months to buy him a good one that would last for years. He still had it, and hoped to pass it down to Beth when she got older. 

His parents always did things like that. If Patrick saw a lego set that looked cool at the store, the next week he would get it as a present. He guessed they did that so he wouldn’t get too lonely being the only child and all of his hospital visits. 

Patrick has told David that the hospital was a second home for him when he was younger, but that didn’t mean he liked it. If he had to be admitted, he would have anxiety attacks and breakdowns. Marcy hated seeing her son in such pain as she tried to comfort him as much as possible. Most times, Clint didn’t know how to help him so he left to go sit in the waiting room. 

Patrick pulled into the driveway, looking at the exterior of his childhood home. It wasn’t huge, but he loved it. It was a two-floored wooden house with a bright red door. Every two months, his mom painted it a different color to spice up their house. They lived in the middle of the forest, away from civilization; just how Clint liked it. Patrick’s old room was navy blue with music posters all over. There were ones of The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, and Fleetwood Mac. He could remember it vividly. 

Patrick shook away his daydream, getting out of the car. He saw that only his mom’s car was in the driveway, but assumed he was probably grocery shopping. He walked up the front doors, ringing the doorbell. 

He could hear his mom turn off the tv and go to the door. Marcy opened the door, shocked to see her son standing in front of her. “Oh, Patrick,” She hugged her son, able to see his sad expression on his face. 

“Hey Mom,” He whispered into her shoulder. “Can we talk?” 

“Of course, come in.” She led him inside. He took his shoes off, knowing how his mother hates dirty floors. “You want some tea?” 

“Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks Mom.” Patrick made himself give her a smile. 

“Go relax on the couch, make yourself comfortable.” Marcy told him, already putting the kettle on and getting their favorite mugs. 

Patrick sat down on the beige couch, getting comfy. “Where’s Dad? I didn’t see his car.” 

“Out on his fishing trip with his buddies. He’s coming back in a few days.” Marcy said quickly. “You know him, always wants an escape from everything.”

Patrick nodded, understanding. “Yeah, I do.” 

Not long after, Marcy came back with mugs of tea in hand. He held it in his hand, wanting to get warmed up. 

“What’s on your mind?” Marcy asked her son, sitting down next to him. 

“A lot of things actually.” Patrick sighed, rubbing his chin. “Can I ask you something?” 

“Ask me anything.” She took a sip of her tea.

“Did you ever want another kid?” Patrick asked, trying to find out if she’ll get the signal. “Like for me to have a sibling?” 

Marcy smiled, somewhat knowing where this was going to go. She took a deep breath before talking. “Your father and I got married when we were 26. We were so young and a little naive still. We wanted a lot of kids. We planned it all out. We were going to have five kids and be so happy.” 

“What happened?” Patrick questioned. 

“It took us awhile to get pregnant. A long time.” Marcy nodded. “It took two years for us to get pregnant.” 

“But-,” Patrick began. 

“We had a miscarriage.” Marcy frowned. “It was hard for us to share our grief. No one knew we were pregnant. We didn’t want to break the news to people for them to get sad again, you know?” 

Patrick nodded. “I completely understand.” 

“We tried again for awhile but nothing happened. We gave up for a few years, not wanting another tragedy to happen.” Marcy whispered. 

“How was Dad during that?” Patrick asked. 

“He was sheltered off. He didn’t know how to act around me. We could do infertility testing and such, but he refused. I think he didn’t want it to be his fault. Like that would somehow make him less of a man.” Marcy explained. “I felt every emotion known to man. But he was there sometimes, but he was busy.” 

“What happened after that?” Patrick raised his eyebrows, drinking his tea. Patrick knew what happened; he just wanted her to continue the story. 

“When I found out I was pregnant with you, it was a total surprise. We weren’t really trying anymore. We gave up. But then you came along.” Marcy reached over and rustled her son’s hair like he was five again. 

Patrick sank in his seat, looking down. “I didn’t know that happened.” 

Marcy frowned, supporting her head with her hand. “I should’ve told you earlier.” 

Patrick shook his head. “It’s okay mom. Don’t guilt yourself.” He covered his eyes, knowing David was saying the same thing to him earlier. 

Marcy stroked his arm, noticing his expression. “My sweet boy, talk to me.” 

He gasped for air, struggling to get it out. “Well….David and I decided to expand our family. We found out I’m infertile but we kept going. We used Stevie as our surrogate. Everything seemed to be going well. We were so excited about everything...But a few weeks ago, Stevie had a miscarriage.” 

Patrick felt his mom hug him. “Oh, honey.” 

“I feel like a failure. Like I’m not good enough.” Patrick rambled. “I’ve barely gotten out of bed. I don’t want to scare Beth or for her to think I’m not here for her.” 

“She doesn’t think that at all. She’s very sensitive to other people’s emotions, she’ll just be worried about you.” Marcy tried to make him understand. 

Patrick sniffled. “When will it stop hurting?” 

“One day you’ll feel better. Soon it will happen I promise you. But the pain doesn’t really leave you. It’s always going to be with you and be with you wherever you go but you can control it.” Marcy told him, holding his hand. 

Patrick nodded. “David wants to try again. Stevie said she was ready. I don’t know if I am. Right now it’s too painful. I don’t want to go through it again.”

Marcy furrowed her eyebrows. “Patrick, I was a Labor and Delivery and Pediatric nurse, I know how hard and rigorous it is for LGBTQ couples to have children, no matter which path they choose. If you give up now, it’s going to be so hard to start again if you change your mind down the road. You have this moment now, and I say you should take it.” She was trying hard not to mince her words. “I know how you feel. I hurt too. But once you were born and I saw you and those big brown eyes of yours, it was worth all of the pain and grief in the world. I’m not trying to silence your pain and tell you to get over it, I’m not doing that at all. No one can ever tell you your pain isn’t worth it.” 

“Thanks, mom.” Patrick cried. 

“I’m always here.” Marcy smiled. 

“You never answered my question.” Patrick pointed out, talking softly. 

“Once you were born, we realized we were content with only one. We thought about having another, but at that point, we were getting to be older and a little busier.” Marcy began. “Plus you enjoyed the spotlight that being an only child had.” 

Patrick laughed, leaning into his mother’s side. “I love you, Mom.” 

“I love you too; my sweet boy.” Marcy put an arm around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments always appreciated!! :)


	3. Telling Beth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Patrick finally tell Beth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been super busy, so I'm so sorry about the wait of this chapter. I got a job this week and that's all I've been doing. I hope you guys like it!

It was finally time to tell Beth about her new sibling. Stevie was 19 weeks, and besides all the normal symptoms, seemed to be great. All the signs looked great and on track. 

“We only have one chance at doing this, it has to be extravagant.” David told Patrick as they were at the store. Beth was at preschool, they were having a party that day since it was the last day of school. “It’s almost summer, it’ll be harder to hide.” 

Patrick nodded from behind the register. “I know. But also, she’s four. We don’t need to need to do a huge blowout.” 

David sighed, putting lotion on the display. “I realize that, I do. But you know how bad she wants this.” 

Patrick walked up to David, holding his shoulders. “I hate to bring you down, but we can’t afford a huge party. With the store not doing that great, and all the appointments, our expenses have to be limited. We already got the t-shirt.” 

David bit his lip, stressed out. “The shirt that you got without asking me first.” 

“How about I make my signature spaghetti dinner and we invite Stevie over.” Patrick whispered, ignoring his husband’s previous statement. 

David threw his head back. “I can compromise to that.” David leaned down to kiss him. “But you have to do that garlic bread too..” 

“Agreed.” Patrick smiled at him. “It’s still hard to believe that we’re actually doing this.” 

“We’re having a baby.” David smiled. 

“We’re having a baby.” Patrick kissed him again. 

At that moment, Stevie walked into the store. “Hello, customer present.” She broke up the embrace. 

“You barely qualify for a customer anymore.” David commented. 

“And how many of those did you have today?” Stevie sneered, walking up to the counter with them. 

“That’s besides the point.” David said to Patrick’s snicker. 

“How are you?” Patrick asked. “Does your back still hurt?” 

Stevie gave him a glare. “No, it miraculously went away. I’m feeling amazing.”

David tried his best not to laugh as Stevie blew her nose in a crumpled up tissue. “That was gross.” 

“New symptom, stuffy nose.” Stevie explained. “Apparently nausea, backache, constipation, and dizziness weren’t enough.” 

“Well, to make you feel a little better, we decided to tell Beth today.” David mentioned. 

“Finally. Now I don’t have to tell her I’m just just eating too much junk food.” Stevie rolled her eyes. 

“Do you wanna be there?” Patrick asked. “She’ll probably understand it better when you’re there.” 

“Are you sure? Isn’t this like a family moment?” Stevie argued. 

“Exactly.” David replied. “Come over around 6 for dinner.” 

Stevie smiled. “I’ll be there.” 

After a full day of school and work, it was time for dinner. Stevie arrived around 6:15, fashionably late as always. She headed right towards the sofa to sit down. She was wearing her usual oversized sweatshirt and leggings to hide her bump. Beth immediately ran over to cuddle with her aunt. 

David and Patrick decided that they would give Beth a shirt that said “Future Big Sister” on it. As much As David hated graphic t-shirts and how corny they were, he had to admit it was a good idea.

They got everything set up right after dinner. Patrick made his signature spaghetti and meatballs, and garlic bread on the side. Beth, as usual, got tomato sauce all over her clothes but that was to be expected. 

They sat Beth on their couch, ready to reveal their news. David set the wrapped gift in front of her. Stevie sat besides her, buzzing with excitement. 

“Beth, can you look at me for a second?” David asked, nervously. Everything needed to go right. Beth looked at him. “The three of us have some news for you, okay?” 

“Can I open it?” She asked, hesitant. 

“Of course, Bethie.” Patrick answered. 

Beth tore off the wrapping paper, which Stevie collected and crumpled into a ball. She started squinting, trying to distinguish what it said. “Can you read it?” She gave it to Stevie. “I don’t know what it says.” 

Stevie swallowed, getting emotional. “Of course. It says, “Future Big Sister.” 

David and Patrick started smiling at her to see if she understood. Finally Beth’s eyes got wide and she started jumping up and down. “I’m going to be a big sister?” 

“Yeah, you are.” David nodded, crying. 

“Where?” Beth asked, not jumping anymore. 

Patrick cleared his throat. “Well, you see your Aunt Stevie has the baby in her belly.” He tried to explain. But again, she was only four and barely understood. 

“Why?” She asked. 

Stevie and David tried to keep from laughing. “I’m just keeping it safe until it’s time for him or her to come out into the world.” She answered. 

“Less than five months until they do.” David smiled, putting an arm around his husband. 

“Do you wanna see?” Stevie asked, wanting to satisfy Beth’s curiosity. 

“Yeah.” Beth agreed. 

Stevie lifted up her sweatshirt to show Beth. Her stomach was protruding slightly, rounded off to make the perfect baby bump. Stevie smiled down at it, proud of what she was doing for them. 

Beth sat still and looked at it, amazed. 

“Do you wanna feel my stomach, Beth?” She asked. 

Beth looked at her dads for guidance. She didn’t know what to do. “Go ahead, bug. We’re right here.” David told her, wiping his eyes. 

Beth reached her hand out and touched her aunt’s stomach. It felt odd and a little lumpy. Stevie felt her stomach and felt a little jolt. “Bring your hand over here.” Stevie guided it to the spot. 

Beth felt the same reaction and bounced in her seat. “What was that?” 

“They kicked. They’re just a little active today.” Stevie smiled. 

“That’s so cool.” Beth laughed as the baby did it again. 

David and Patrick looked on, letting the two have their moment. They were both so excited about the months to come and how it would change their family. Now they just had to tell their parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments always appreciated!


	4. Telling The Parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick and David have a nice barbecue planned for when they tell their parents about the baby. Of course, it doesn't go to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is so late! Work has been a major pain and I had writer's block for a while and then this took forever to write because I wanted this chapter to be perfect. The next few chapters are going to be more serious, but I think you'll like them. I promise this next chapter will come out sooner than this time.

David and Patrick decided to tell everyone all together at once. They both didn’t have the time or patience to wait and tell each of their parents separately and wanted to kill two birds with one stone. Stevie was less excited about the whole affair, not liking how the attention was going to be all on her. 

“And we’re sure that we’re sticking to the barbecue at the motel?” David asked Stevie and Patrick at the store, the day before everyone was supposed to come down. “We all saw what happened the last time.” 

Patrick picked up Beth, who was listening intently to the conversation. “David, no surprise ex-fiances are going to show up. Everyone will be thrilled.” Patrick assured him, placing his hands on the counter. “Besides, it’s not like we can afford something more lavish.” 

“I don’t think I’m gonna go, I’m just going to stay home,” Stevie told them, brushing it off. “This is a family thing.” 

David walked toward his best friend, putting his hands on her arms. “No. You’re going. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, but you’re family. Even though this kinda makes this situation seem a little bit weirder, you’re family.” David told her. “You are carrying our child, which is like really important, so you’re going.”

“Fine,” Stevie answered. 

The next day, they closed down their store and waited for David’s family to come down as Patrick’s was coming the next day. Alexis seemed to be enjoying her time in New York and wasn’t unemployed or broke yet, which is still surprising for David. Moira and Johnny were doing great over in LA and had zero complaints. Both of their ventures were thriving greatly. 

“Remember no matter what happens this weekend, we are happy and glad everyone is visiting.” David reminded his husband and their daughter. 

“Even when Grandpa tells a boring story?” Beth complained as they waited at the door. 

“Even when Grandpa tells a boring story.” David nodded. “No matter how painful it is.” 

A knock came on the door. “Okay, Brewer-Rose’s, places please,” Patrick said as he walked to the door. “The Rose’s are coming.” He opened the door. 

“Hello, you!” Moira called out, giving her luggage to Patrick. “Oh Beth, how you grown!” 

“Grammy!” Beth hugged her tightly as Redmond circled around everyone’s feet. 

“Hello, everyone.” Johnny walked in to see his son’s family. 

“Hey, Dad.” David hugged him. 

“I can put your suitcase up in your room, Mr. Rose.” Patrick offered. “It’s good to see you again.” 

“Thank you, Patrick.” Johnny smiled at him before turning to his granddaughter. He knelt down and hugged her. “I’ve missed you, Beth. Tell me everything about your preschool.” 

“Okay! C’mon!” She pulled him by the hand into her room, where they would have a tea party with her stuffed animals. Patrick walked back downstairs, getting out of their way. 

Everyone else smiled at their reunion. “When will Alexis get here?” David asked. 

“Near dinner is what I last heard. She said she had a surprise.” Moira answered. 

“Oh god, that’s not needed.” David shook his head. 

“It’ll be fine,” Patrick assured him. “How was the flight?” 

“Oh, it was splendid. I forgot how luxurious first class was.” Moira said wistfully. “We had actual champagne and not the grotesque zhampagne that we’re used to back here.” 

“It’s definitely not anyone’s favorite here.” Patrick laughed as Moira went upstairs to get settled.

After Moira and Johnny unpacked all her belongings and Beth was taking her afternoon nap, they went back downstairs to talk to David and Patrick. They all sat in the living room. 

“So how is my granddaughter?” Moira asked. “Has she gotten settled in the new house?” 

“It took a while, and the promise of getting a dog, but I think she likes it,” Patrick answered, petting Redmond who was laid in between him and David, who sat on the other side of the couch. “I’m gonna go check up on her, make sure she’s actually sleeping.” Patrick walked upstairs. 

He walked into Beth’s room, opening her door quietly. Patrick wasn’t that surprised to see that she wasn’t sleeping and playing with her stuffed animals instead. When she saw her father at the door, she scrambled to her bed and pretended to be asleep. Redmond got on the bed, laying down by her feet. 

“Bethany, I know you’re faking.” Patrick laughed, going to sit on her bed. “You gotta go to bed, honey.” 

“I don’t want to miss anything,” Beth complained, rubbing her eyes. 

“I know you don’t, but I promise nothing is going to happen without you,” Patrick told her, getting her curly brown hair out of her face. 

“Pinky promise?” She asked, holding out her finger. 

“Pinky promise,” Patrick linked his finger with her’s. “Are you excited about telling everyone?”

Beth nodded, leaning on her pillow. “I think so.” 

“Why only “think so”?” He asked. 

“It won’t be a secret anymore,” Beth explained. “I liked being secret, like spies.” 

Patrick cracked a smile. “Well, I think it’ll be worth it in the long run. Don’t you?”

Beth shrugged. “I guess so.” 

“Hey, you two.” David knocked on the door, walking in slowly. 

“Hey,” Patrick smiled. “Where are your parents?” 

“Went for a walk. Wanted to say hi to everyone.” David answered, sitting on the other side of the bed. “Was she pretending to sleep again?” 

Patrick nodded. “Like always. Except for this time I caught her in the action.” 

“Oh, I see. Well, I talked to Grammy and Grampy and they said if you didn’t take your nap they’re gonna leave. So I think, someone needs to go to bed.” David stated.

“We don’t want that to happen,” Beth exclaimed. 

“No, we don’t.” David nodded. 

Patrick smiled, pulling up the covers. “Sweet dreams.” He kissed her on the forehead. 

“We love you so much,” David said, kissing her head. 

When Moira and Johnny came back from saying hi to everyone, they both went upstairs to take a nap, tired from the day’s adventures. David was journaling up in bed and Patrick was fretting with his charts in the chair beside their bed. 

“Come rest, I know you’re tired,” David called out. 

“I’m okay, David,” Patrick assured him. 

“The store will be fine.” He walked over to his husband. “It will be.” 

Patrick looked up at him. “How can you be sure?” 

“I just am. We always figure something out.” David kissed his forehead. 

“I love you.” Patrick sighed, holding David’s hand that was rested on his shoulder. 

“I love you, too.” David kissed the side of his head. 

A few hours later, Alexis knocked on the Brewer-Rose household’s front door. The rest of the family ran down the stairs. Beth was very excited to see her aunt again for a while. Alexis always made sure to be free at 7pm every evening to facetime her niece, but it wasn’t the same. 

David opened the door. 

“Auntie Alexis!” Beth ran into her arms. 

“My little Rose!” Alexis picked her up, hugging the rest of her family, ignoring all the luggage she brought in. 

David walked towards his sister. “Hey,” He hugged her. “I missed you.” 

“I missed you, too.” She admitted. 

A voice chimed in, who seemed to be struggling with all the bags. “Uh, a little help, Alexis?” 

“That can’t be,” Moira exclaimed. 

“Uncle Ted?” Beth questioned. 

“Surprise?” Ted laughed. 

“Did you know about this?” David asked Patrick, who shook his head. “I signed up for three people staying with us, not four.” He whispered in his ear. 

“Ted, it’s nice to see you again.” Johnny shook his hand. 

“How about you both get settled and we can talk all about this fun moment after?” David suggested. 

An hour later, they all sat down for dinner, ready to hear Alexis and Ted’s story. 

“Well, if you can’t tell, Ted and I are back together,” Alexis exclaimed, excitedly. 

“Yeah, we pieced that together.” David sarcastically nodded. 

“It’s a cool story, actually. So there was a hurricane coming to the Galapagos a few weeks ago. They basically told us to get off the island and not come back, because there could be the destruction of ecosystems, which is sad when I think about it.” Ted grimaced. “Anyway...they gave us a free one-way ticket to anywhere. I decided to go to New York. I thought it was some sort of sign that I somehow remembered her address from all those months ago.” He looked at Alexis. “Finish the story, babe.” 

“He showed up on my doorstep and I just knew we were destined to be together,” Alexis said, giggly. “And a couple of days after that, he gave me this.” She quickly put on a large diamond ring that was in her pocket. 

“You’re engaged?!” David exclaimed. 

“Alexis, we couldn’t be prouder.” Johnny smiled at them. 

“You’re getting married?” Beth asked, her mouth full of chicken. “Can I be the flower girl? I already have practice.” 

“Bethany, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Patrick laughed while David sat shocked. 

“Of course, little Rose. I wouldn’t want anyone else.” Alexis told her. 

“Look at all of us. So many new additions in our family, Alexis and her attending nuptials......David and their new bouncing bundle of joy that’s coming in a matter of months.” Moira rambled, not realizing everyone’s eyes were on her. 

David’s eyes squinted. “What the fuck?” He cursed, not caring his four-year-old daughter was sitting next to him. “Who told you?”

Alexis lowered her head. “Mom, they don’t know that we know.” She whispered while her brother shot her a glare. 

“We kind of figured it out, son,” Johnny explained. “You wanted both sides of the family over in the middle of July just for a barbecue?” Patrick tried to argue but gave up. “And during Alexis’s and Beth’s facetime calls, she heard you two talking about setting up the nursery soon in the background.” 

“Fuck,” David covered his face with his hands. “We literally haven’t told anyone.” 

Patrick took a deep breath. “We were going to tell everyone tomorrow night when my parents arrived.” He nodded, trying to stay calm. “But yeah, we’re having another baby.” He held David’s hand. “Stevie, if you can believe it, is our surrogate. She’s due in November.” 

Moira clapped her hands together. “Oh, how splendid!” 

“We’re really excited.” David let himself be happy about the situation, he couldn’t hide his grin. 

“How do you feel, big sister?” Ted asked her.

“I’m happy.” She smiled wide. 

Later that night, when everyone else was asleep, David saw Patrick sitting on the porch, sitting in one of their chairs, thinking. Redmond was laying by his feet, almost asleep. He had a mug in his hand as it always seemed to get chilly at night. His favorite navy blue sweatshirt that read, “Best Dad Ever,” was on, with grey joggers on as well. 

“Hey,” David whispered, making Patrick’s head turn towards him. 

“Hey,” Patrick cleared his throat.

David gave his husband a half-smile. “Well, they found out.” 

Patrick laughed, wrapping his arms around David’s back. “At least they're supportive.” 

“Are you mad about it?” David asked, putting his arms around David’s neck, bringing him closer. 

“I was aggravated that we didn’t get to tell everyone like we wanted to.” Patrick nodded. “But, they were so excited for us, how could you be mad about that? Were you?”

“I was more shocked than mad. We kept it so hidden. But, I remembered how you can literally hide nothing from my family.” David pursed his lips. “I’m excited for us.” 

“Me too.” Patrick kissed his husband. 

“What were you doing out here?” David asked, quietly. 

“Just enjoying the quiet, thinking,” Patrick said. They began to somewhat slow-dance on their porch. “Do you think my parents know?” 

“I don’t know, but we’ll tell.” David smiled. 

“Oh, you saw them at my birthday party.” Patrick chuckled. “Not great actors.” 

“The stress has kind of diminished about tomorrow,” David mentioned. “Now, it’s just a normal barbecue.” 

“Just a normal barbecue.” Patrick agreed. “So tomorrow, we can just tell my parents at lunch when they come in?” 

David nodded, staying quiet. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too.” Patrick kissed him again. 

“Ew,” Someone exclaimed at the door. 

“Beth, you may enter,” David stated. 

They looked over to see their daughter walking in, wearing her sunflower pajamas. She had her blanket dragging behind her, holding one of her lions close to her. She still had trouble sleeping through nights, but it wasn’t a constant matter anymore. 

“What’s wrong, Bethie?” Patrick asked, kneeling to her level. 

“Grandpa is snoring too loud,” Beth complained, sitting down where Patrick was sitting previously. “I can hear him through the walls.” 

“Oh, can you?” David joked. 

“What were you doing?” She asked, wanting to prolong her bedtime as long as possible. 

“Just talking,” Patrick answered. 

“About what?” Beth looked up at them. 

“We will tell you in the morning. Come on, let’s go to bed.” David picked her up. 

“Can I have some water?” Beth asked. “Please?” 

“Well, since you asked so nicely,” David replied, sitting her down on the kitchen counter. 

Patrick went into their cupboard and poured Beth a glass of water. “Are you excited about Aunt Alexis’s wedding?” He gave it to her. 

“Yeah, seems quick though.” Beth pointed out, drinking her water. 

“It does, doesn’t?” David agreed. “Maybe too quick.” 

Patrick lightly nudged David’s arm, smiling. “Hey, they’re soulmates, you can’t stop love.” 

Beth’s eyes lit up. “Are you two soulmates?” 

David looked at Patrick to answer. “Of course, we are married.” 

“When did you know you were soulmates?” Beth asked. 

David cleared his throat. “Very quickly. There was one moment where your pops bought me our first receipt from our store for my birthday. It was very heartfelt. Probably that night.” 

“Poppy?” Beth looked up at him. 

“That same night. I just knew.” Patrick nodded agreeing. He noticed Beth finished her water. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.” Patrick picked her up, walking up the stairs and into her room with David following closely behind. 

“Goodnight, bug. I love you.” David kissed her on the head. 

“Love you, Daddy.” 

“Sweet dreams, I love you.” Patrick did the same. 

“Love you, Poppy.” Beth yawned, her eyes closing. “Good night.” 

They both tiptoed out of her room and went to the master bedroom, where Redmond was already sleeping on his dog bed beside their bed. 

The next day, Patrick and David met up with Clint and Marcy at the Cafe. Beth was acting moody that morning so they didn’t let her go. She stayed at home with Moira and Johnny as Alexis and Ted were going up to Elmdale before the barbecue. 

“Hey!” Patrick said happily, hugging his parents as he and David got to their booth. They got up and hugged their son and son-in-law. “How was the drive?” 

“Not that bad, smooth sailing the whole way,” Clint answered, as Marcy enveloped David in a hug. 

“Oh, it’s so good to see you again,” Marcy exclaimed as they sat down. “Where’s Beth?” 

David grimaced as he opened his menu. “She was a little grumpy this morning and was making a scene, so she wasn’t allowed to come to lunch. But we can all go back to our house after this if you want.” 

“That’ll be great.” Marcy smiled. “How is she? Dealing with everything okay?”

Patrick nodded, hesitantly. “Yeah, for the most part, she is. It took a while for her to get used to all the changes but now that everything is settling down, she likes it.” 

“You got that dog, right?” Clint asked, wanting to be a part of the conversation. 

“Yeah, Redmond. We’ve had him for quite some time now. He’s a big part of the family.” David began to look at the menu. 

“How’s everything at home?” Patrick asked. 

“Good. Nothing major to report on. I’ve just been crocheting and sewing up things while your father goes on his trips. Been really quiet lately.” Marcy told them, with a hopeful look in her eye. 

The young couple looked at each other. “Actually, we have some news. Patrick and I are having a baby.” David smiled, holding Patrick’s hand. “Stevie is our surrogate, due in November.” 

They both gasped dramatically, almost like it was practiced. “That is fantastic news!” Marcy beamed. 

“We’re proud of you, son.” Clint gave a smile. 

“Thank you, we’re really excited.” Patrick grinned. 

Later that day, there was the big barbecue at the motel. Stevie was a little less nervous about going since everyone already knew, but she still wasn’t that fond of the attention she was going to receive. 

The evening seemed to be going smoothly, with everyone talking to each other. It sort of felt like old times when the Rose family was back at the motel all together. Beth sat by herself on one of the swings on the playground, swinging by herself while everyone else talked. 

“What’s wrong, Beth?” Ted asked, sitting next to her. 

“Nothing.” Beth shook her head, looking down. 

“Are you ready to be a big sister?” Ted wanted to keep Beth happy, so he tried to keep the conversation going. 

Beth scrunched up her eyebrows. “What do you mean?” 

“Of all the responsibilities you’ll have now.” Ted tried to explain. 

“Like what?” 

“Well, you have to always be there for them, no matter what. You’ll need to help your dads out when the baby comes-,” Ted told her before being interrupted. 

“I could take Redmond out for walks!” Beth exclaimed. 

Ted let out a laugh. “I don’t think that’s a great idea, but sure, something like that.” 

“Uncle Ted?” She looked up at him. 

“What’s up?” 

“Do you have a brother or sister?” Beth asked. 

“Yeah, I have an older sister and a younger sister,” Ted answered. “Madison and Ella.” 

“Do you miss them?” 

“Well of course, but your Aunt Alexis and I are going to see them soon.” Ted nodded. “Right after this, actually.” 

“I’m scared I won’t be good enough.” Beth lowered her head. 

“You’re going to be the best big sister, I already know it.” Ted encouraged her. 

“I think I’m done talking.” She responded, getting up and walking away. 

Marcy went up to Stevie, who was occupying herself at the snack table. Without any hesitation, Marcy hugged her as tightly as possible. 

“This feels nice,” Stevie said. 

“Thank you,” Marcy smiled. 

“For what?” Stevie asked, releasing the embrace. 

“For doing this. For doing this for my son. You know, David’s been telling me that you were family to him. Now I can see that with my own eyes.” Marcy held Stevie by her shoulders. “Since he’s family to us, so are you now.” 

“Why do you have to be so nice?” Stevie wiped her eyes. 

“That’s just who I am,” Marcy replied. “Thank you, honey.” 

“I know it would’ve been a lot harder for them if I said no, so I agreed. I would do anything for them. They’ve done so much for me.” Stevie told her. “Patrick is so good for David. They’ve made such a great life together here. Patrick is the best dad to Beth. He’s the most patient, kind, and understanding person I’ve met.” 

“Why are you two talking about me?” Patrick asked as he and David walked up to them. 

“No reason.” Marcy winked at Stevie. “So tell me everything, do you know the sex of the baby yet?” 

David touched Patrick’s shoulder. “My husband here wants to keep it a surprise. And me, being the doting partner agreed.” He grimaced. 

“It’s one of the only true surprises you can have in life,” Patrick explained. “David wants a girl.” 

“Yes, because we saw how great I, I mean we, did with Beth, our parenting skills can only improve.” David defended himself. 

“I’m sensing you want a boy?” Marcy looked at her son. 

“I’m not that picky. I don’t really care as long as they are healthy. But I know it’s going to be a boy.” Patrick smiled. 

“That’s basically your way of saying you want a boy,” Stevie argued. 

“Oh, whatever.” Patrick chuckled. 

As it got later and later, one-by-one people started to leave. First was Stevie as she was mentally and physically exhausted. Next was Moira and Johnny who took Beth home as she was getting grumpy from being overtired. Then left Clint and Marcy who wanted to be fully rested for their drive home. Ted and Alexis were the last to leave, not wanting the night to end. As Alexis said it was “lowkey celebrating their engagement too,”.

“That was a really good night.” Patrick sat down on the picnic table, next to his husband. 

“Smooth sailing.” David agreed. “Beth seemed off today.”

“I noticed. She played on the playground the whole time, she barely even talked to my mom.” Patrick rubbed David’s back. “Are we doing something wrong? Are we not doing something?”

“We can never know,” David answered. “We just need to trust ourselves that Beth had a bad day and she’ll be fine. There’s nothing else we can do right now.” 

“Since when are you calm?” Patrick laughed. 

“I don’t know, being around our family just makes me happy. I missed everyone.” David admitted. 

“Me too,” Patrick replied. 

“C’mon, let’s go home.” David pulled him up, kissing him. 

“Make sure Moira and Beth aren’t having late night chats eating ice cream again,” Patrick said. 

“I love you,” David said as they began their walk home.

“I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can only put kudos once on a work, I would appreciate it if more people commented. I know I'm asking for a lot, but it helps me know that people like this and want me to continue writing. Thank you :)


	5. The Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Patrick gets in a severe car accident, David's life flashes before his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you say anything, my bad. Again, work's been insane and mentally draining. I've worked so hard on this chapter and I hope it shows to you all. There's a lot of character development shown in this chapter and I hope you all can point that out because I thought it was really cool when I was writing it.

Stevie was now 7 months pregnant and hated it. David was a worrying mess while Patrick tried to keep the stress levels down. The only way he knew how to do that was to take everyone else’s stress and just add it to his own. 

It was during the late afternoon when David and Bethany were going to close the store themselves as Patrick was driving back from a small business conference in Toronto. David and Bethany were wrapping up when a very pregnant Stevie walked in. 

“Hi!” Bethany welcomed, waving from her perch on the counter. 

Stevie smiled back at her. “What’s up, girly?”

“Nothing. Just waiting for Poppy to get back.” Beth replied. 

“What are you doing here?” David asked. 

“The doctor said it’s a good idea for me to go on short walks during breaks. Since there’s only so much I can do at my computer and I can’t travel, I can walk.” Stevie said. “Everyone at the cafe likes to fawn over me like I’m some sort of circus animal. This is safe.” 

David’s phone rang, he picked it up while Stevie entertained Beth. “Yes, this is his husband,” David said, confused. “Oh my god, oh my god. This isn’t happening…..Okay. I need to call his parents. I’ll be there as fast as I can.” David ended the call, putting his hand to his forehead, crying. 

“Daddy, what’s wrong?” Beth asked, not knowing what was happening. 

Stevie looked up at her best friend in concern. “David?” 

“Patrick was driving and they think he had a heart attack. He got in an accident. It’s pretty bad. There was other stuff too. He’s in surgery right now, trying to fix some internal bleeding. ” David put his phone in his pocket, not knowing what to do. “We gotta go to Elmdale.” Beth started sobbing. David picked her up as they began to rush out of the store. 

Stevie flipped over the open sign. “I’ll drive. You’re not in a good state.” She opened her hand for the keys. 

David handed them over, putting Beth in her booster seat. Beth was shaking, clutching onto David’s sweater. He knelt down, holding Beth’s head in between his two hands. “Everything is going to be just fine, okay?” 

“Okay…” Bethany choked, taking a deep breath in. 

“C’mere.” David brought her in for a hug. “I know it’s a little scary. It’ll be ok.”

“I love you, Daddy,” Beth whispered. Stevie looked in the rearview mirror to see what was happening. 

“I love you too, so much.” David kissed her head, buckling her in the booster seat. 

David first called the vendor so she would know why Patrick wasn’t there yet. Then he called Marcy and Clint. David told them everything he knew, crying again. Marcy talked to him on the phone and started crying as well. They said they would be at the hospital as soon as possible. 

Then David called his parents. They couldn’t believe the news. They wanted to come to the hospital but David told them not to, believing it might be too much for the small waiting room of the Elmdale General Hospital. Next, he called Alexis. Stevie could hear her shocks and sobs over the phone. She said she would fly out there as soon as possible to help watch Beth or the store. David couldn’t believe the generosity in her voice so he let her. Then he called Jocelyn to ask if she could put a sign on the door of the store to say they would be closed for a while. Like any other good-willed person in the town, she said yes.

David put down his phone, done with the phone calls for the time being. “Sorry, I don't mean to ignore you.” He faced Stevie. 

“You’re not, David. If you want, I’ll help Alexis with the store tomorrow when she comes. Jocelyn would probably love to help as well.” Stevie stated, raising up a corner of her mouth as a half-smile. 

“Thank you, that means a lot. Just be careful.” David sighed, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders.

They arrived at the hospital a half-hour later. The three of them walked in the ER doors slowly, not wanting to face the inevitable. It was a small ER, most of the patients were there for a broken arm, concussion, or the common cold, rarely a severe car crash like Patrick was in. The walls were beige and suffocating, making David want to pull the collar of his sweater. 

Stevie took Beth and sat down in the waiting area in the corner of the ER while David walked up to the receptionist. 

“Hi, I’m David Rose. I’m looking for my husband, Patrick Brewer?” He asked, trying to stay composed. 

“Unfortunately he’s still in surgery. But I will let the doctor know that you’re here. Dr. Jones is a great surgeon, she’s excellent.” The receptionist smiles, trying hard to ease David’s mind. 

“That’s great. Um, they said he had a heart attack, how did you know?” David grimaced. 

“They did a C-T scan right when he arrived to try to understand why he crashed. His heart was very worn.” She answered. “They know he has heart disease. Once Patrick comes to and explains why is when we’ll get the actual answer. To let you know, Patrick also broke some ribs, his right knee, and sprained his left wrist as well. He’s unconscious at the moment, but that can change at any point.” 

“Thank you. And the accident...did he hurt anyone else?” David questioned, not really knowing if he wanted to know the answer. 

“He did hit a few cars, but their injuries are very minor. Mr. Rose, his car flipped over into oncoming traffic. It’s a miracle he’s still alive. We’ll let you know of any updates, okay?” She returned back to her computer with a dignified face. 

David thanked her and headed over to the waiting area. He sat on the other side of Stevie, biting his thumbnail. “She said he’s lucky to be alive.” He whispered, not wanting his daughter to hear. 

Stevie stayed quiet and held David’s hand. “It'll be okay. Maybe not at present, but soon it will.”

Beth climbed on her dad’s lap, putting her arms around his neck, leaning forward for a hug. “Daddy? Is Poppy okay?” 

“Not right now, but he will be soon,” David promised, taking a breath in. Beth snuggled in his chest. 

After another hour of waiting, Dr. Jones walked up to the three of them. She had a much-needed face of calm. “The surgery went great. We’re very surprised his heart didn’t act up during surgery. We’re about to take him back for heart surgery in a few minutes.” 

“Heart surgery?” David asked, flustered. 

“Yes, we have to do heart surgery to repair the blood flow to his heart. He needs a triple bypass, which means that three of the arteries in his heart are damaged. The surgery will last about 6 hours.” Dr. Jones explained. 

“Wow, okay. That’s a lot. Why wasn’t this done beforehand?” David was feeling dumb and stupid. Patrick would be much better at this than him. 

“There was major internal bleeding in his abdominal and stomach area. If we fixed his heart first, he would’ve bled out on the table. It was a risky choice, but we believe it was the right one. Your husband is strong, Mr. Rose.” She assured him. 

Before David could respond, Beth spoke up. “Doctor?” Dr. Jones raised her eyebrows at the young girl. “Will my Poppy be okay? I’m really scared.” Beth said, tears rolling down her face. “You seem like you know answers.” 

Dr. Jones knelt down to her level. “He’s really lucky. What’s your name?” 

“Bethany,”

“Well Bethany, your Poppy is a superhero. He beat the odds. Which I think is pretty cool. What he needs from you right now is for you to be strong and brave for him. Then he can be strong and brave. Can you do that?” She asked her, smiling dearly. Stevie and David looked at each other in awe. 

Beth sniffed. “I can try my best. Can you tell him something for me?” 

“Of course.” The doctor replied. 

Beth went up to her and whispered in the woman’s ear. After she was finished, she returned to her dad’s lap, with a new sense of peace. 

“Thank you, Dr. Jones,” David exclaimed. 

“Just doing my job,” She smiled, turning away. “I’ll let you know of any updates.” 

Stevie started getting achy after a while so she went to get everyone something to drink at the cafe in the hospital. Beth went with her, she was so bored she started to run circles in the waiting area. David was on the phone letting people know of the news. 

Just then, Marcy and Clint walked into the waiting area. They both seemed grief-ridden, pale, and red in the face. They looked around and lit up when they saw David. He walked over, greeting them. 

“Thank you for coming,” David said, welcoming Marcy’s warm embrace. He let himself go and cried, not caring what he looked like.

“Thank you for dealing with all of this. I know with a new baby on the way, this is the last thing you’d want.” Marcy replied. She always seemed to put the arrival of her new grandchild in conversation. 

“He can pull through, I know he can.” Clint nodded, matter-of-factly. He was very straight to the point. David admired that about Clint. 

“Nothing changed since the last time I called you,” David explained, leading them over to the plastic chairs. 

“How much longer do you think he would be in surgery?” Marcy asked, all of them taking a seat. 

“Five hours? Give or take?” David looked at the time on his phone. 

“Now enough sad talk for now, where’s my granddaughter?” Clint asked, looking around. 

“She’s with Stevie getting drinks. I’ll text her to bring you guys some tea.” David pulled out his phone already texting them. 

“Is she excited about being a big sister?” Marcy asked, already grinning. 

“I think so? She loves attention so that’s definitely going to be a shift. Beth is so sweet though, so she’s going to be a great sister.” David answered. 

“I’m so happy for you two. You sure you want to keep the sex a surprise?” Marcy asked, pursing her lips. 

David nodded, trying not to laugh. “Yes, I wanted to know, but Patrick wanted to keep the element of surprise.” 

“That sounds like our Patrick.” Clint sighed, wistfully. 

Stevie and Beth made their way back up, each of them holding drinks in their hands. Stevie said hello to the Brewer’s before handing both of them their teas. 

“Here’s your fancy coffee, Daddy,” Beth handed it to him, setting her hot chocolate down and going to hug her grandparents excitedly. 

“Thank you, honey. Be gentle.” David reprimanded as Stevie sat down, drinking her hot tea.

“Stevie, how are you?” Marcy asked, holding Beth tight in her lap. 

“Oh, I’m terrible,” Stevie replied, getting to the point. “Everything hurts. I’m leaking air and liquids. The spawn likes to continually kick my bladder all hours of the day so I’m constantly peeing. I’m so tired all of the time. I have stretch marks all over. I have terrible heartburn. I’m constantly forgetting simple things. Pregnancy is great.” Stevie openly complained. David laughed aloud, covering his mouth with his hand. 

“Well, you’re glowing,” Marcy commented. Stevie smiled in response. 

“That’s probably the sweat,” Stevie added. It wasn’t like she hated pregnancy, actually, she did, but that’s beside the point. She knew she was helping her friends and that was all that mattered to her. 

“And all the scans are looking good?” Marcy asked. 

“Yeah, they’re great.” David nodded, wanting some silence to think. 

He couldn’t stop thinking. Every time Stevie would tell him, “He’ll be okay,” he started to worry more. What if it wasn’t going to be okay? How was that going to be? He wouldn’t be able to survive. He couldn’t be a single father again. It would all be too much. 

“I’m going to go sit outside for a while. I need some fresh air.” David quickly said, grabbing his phone and getting out of the plastic chair. “Let me know if anything changes.” 

David found a bench to sit on right outside of the hospital entrance. He shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself. He gasped, looking up at the grey sky. Why was his life so complicated? Why couldn’t he just get a break once in a while? Was that too much to ask?

David knew he didn’t deserve Patrick. He was selfish, ignorant, unorganized, and Patrick was the opposite of all of that. He can’t lose one of the best things that happened to him. He was a doting dad, a great husband, and an all-around good guy. He always strived to be the best person he could always be. Everyone in Schitt’s Creek liked him. Well, besides Ronnie. David still wasn’t sure why she wasn’t fond of him. 

David shook his head, trying not to smile thinking about him and Beth together. Ever since the two met all those years ago, they were inseparable. Every day Patrick would pick Beth up from preschool and bring her to the store. It was a simple routine the two had together. But on Friday’s, Patrick would take her to get ice cream at the cafe before going back to the store as a treat. Patrick would get mint chocolate chip and Beth would get cookies and cream. 

Patrick could not be any more excited about the new baby if he tried. Every day while David was buying baby clothes online, he was looking up baby names that he liked. 

“What about Patrick Jr.?” He jokingly suggested. 

“No way,” David shook his head. 

“Grace?” Patrick looked up from his computer. 

“Too basic.” David thought hard. “Symphony?” 

Patrick cringed. “Too weird. Melody?” 

David tilted his head. “Maybe, Stephan?” 

“Too fancy. How did you come up with Bethany’s name?” Patrick asked.

“Before she died of a complication from a facelift, my dad had a sister, her name was Beth-Anne, she was there when Mom and Dad couldn't, which was a lot.” David pursed his lips. “She wasn’t perfect obviously, but she was there, you know? So I named her Bethany.” 

“What about Harrison or Harriett?” Patrick read from the screen. 

“We can put those on the list.” David agreed. “But I’m not saying yes.” 

David shook himself from his daydream, looking around him. He checked his phone for the time. It’s been three hours since he’s been in surgery. Only two more and he’ll hopefully be able to see him. David closed his eyes, resting his head on his hands. 

“David?” A voice called out. He could recognize that voice anywhere. Alexis. 

He immediately stood up and went to hug her. “Thank you.” 

“We came as fast as we could. Any updates?” She asked. She was wearing a solid millennial pink t-shirt and skinny jeans, her large bag in her wrist. 

David told her everything he knew. “Wait, we?” 

“I brought Ted in case someone needed to watch Beth during the day or to be emotional support that I can’t. We’re staying at the motel, don’t worry.” Alexis assured him. “He’s coming later.” She sat next to him. 

“I couldn’t be in there, it’s too much,” David stated, sniffling. 

Alexis nodded, understanding. ‘I know.” She sat down next to him. 

“He has a couple of hours left in his heart surgery…..Maybe when Ted gets here he can take Beth back to the house?” David suggested. “Nothing else is going to happen today.” 

“Yeah, of course.” Alexis started rubbing his back, trying her best to be comforting. 

“Patrick’s parents are here,” David said. “Marcy looks like she can break down at any moment. Clint is like a statue, no expression whatsoever.” 

“How’s Beth doing?” She asked.

“Um, she’s really confused about everything. She knows something is wrong and that he’s hurting, but doesn’t understand why she can’t see him….It-It’s almost painful to watch.” David sighed. “It’s so scary for her.” 

“Can you visit him after his surgery?” Alexis asked. 

“I don’t know yet.” David shook his head. 

“Let’s go inside, they’d have to give you some news by now.” Alexis helped him off of the bench. 

The pair walked back into the waiting room. Marcy got up and brought Alexis into a tight hug before Beth almost toppled Alexis to the ground. Even though it was near 8 pm, she seemed to be full of energy. “Hi, Auntie Alexis!” 

“Hi, my little Rose.” Alexis held her close before putting her back down. She looked at her friend. “Stevie, look at you! You have that pregnancy glow.” 

“Ha, thanks.” Stevie gave her a smile. 

“Has there been any news?” David asked everyone, sitting back down. 

“Yeah,” Stevie nodded, taking the two away from everyone else. “He was bleeding out. But it’s contained now. They’re almost done.” 

David took a deep sigh. “Okay, when did they come out?” 

“Maybe an hour ago? I should’ve come and gotten you. I’m sorry.” Stevie apologized. 

“Yeah, you should’ve,” Alexis commented giving Stevie a glare. 

“Okay, stand down.” David directed to his sister. “It’s fine.” 

“I’m gonna call Ted to come and get Beth. It can still be a while.” Alexis got her phone out.

Ted got to the hospital in record time, not wanting to hold anyone up. He waved hello to everyone and went up to David. 

“Thank you for helping.” David gave a sincere smile. 

“It’s not a problem, do you want me to take her to your house or the motel?” He asked.

“Our house probably, she’ll feel more comfortable there than anywhere else. You can stay in the guest room tonight.” David said going over to where Beth was sitting. “Hey, Uncle Ted is going to take you home, okay?” 

“Can I stay longer?” She asked, giving her dad a hug. 

“Nothing is going to change, bug. You can come back tomorrow morning if something does change.” David told her, kissing her head. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“If you say so.” Beth reluctantly let go of David, looking at him with fear. 

“I love you so much.” David waved goodbye as Ted started to usher her out of the hospital.

“I love you, too.” She turned around and blew him a kiss. 

It was an hour later when Dr. Jones came back out to see them. David stood up, waiting for the news. “The surgery went great, he’s still unconscious at the moment, but we think he will wake up tomorrow or the day after. There should be no brain damage or problems. But still, I make no promises. His vitals are weak, which should be expected.” 

“Can we see him?” Marcy asked. 

“Only one person can visit him at the moment. If his vitals are better tomorrow, that can change. And once Patrick is out of the ICU, Beth can visit him. Visiting hours are almost over, but I’ll allow one of you to go in. ” Dr. Jones explained. 

David nodded. “Thank you.” 

“David, you go. We should go find somewhere to spend the night.” Marcy touched his son-in-law’s arm. “Stevie, we’ll give you a ride home.

“You sure?”

“Yes, go on ahead.” Clint urged him. 

“We’ll see you tomorrow.” Stevie waved at him.

“I’ll show you to his room.” Dr. Jones started walking. “I know it’s a lot right now. A lot to process. But he’s doing great.” 

“I feel like I should be writing this all down.” David forced out a laugh. 

“I’ll get an aide to write down everything we’ve told you, what we’ve done, and what we’re going to do.” Dr. Jones smiled at him. 

“Thank you, that means a lot to me.” David took a breath. 

“If he wakes up tomorrow, we’ll go forward with his knee surgery. We’re going to put pins and screws in his knee to fix the break and help it heal. It’s an important surgery but not urgent, so we’re going to hold it off. He’ll be put in a cast for a few weeks.” She said as they rounded a corner to his room. There he was, laying on the hospital bed. So many wires connecting him and to different machines. “I’ll give you two some space.” 

David nodded, walking in the room, sitting on a chair beside the bed. There were a few scrapes and scars on his face, fixed by stitches. His right knee was raised to ease him of pain and his left wrist was in a brace. David held Patrick’s hand tightly like he would never let go. 

“They say you’re lucky, you know?” David choked out, tears running down. “Beth is fine, she’s being brave. Me, on the other hand, I’m more of a total wreck. But don’t worry about us, okay? Keep being strong. To be honest, Patrick, I can’t do this without you. I can’t do anything without you. It’s too early to leave us. Your time isn’t over, yet.” David cleared his throat. “Think of our kids, and the ones we may have in the future. Think of them learning to walk for the first time. Their first words being “Poppy” or “Dada”. Think of them losing their first tooth and putting it under their pillow for the tooth fairy. Them learning how to drive. And you will be teaching them, I don’t have the stability to do that. Think of them graduating. Patrick, I can’t do any of that without you. I wanna grow old with you and sit on our porch in rocking chairs. You drinking your tea and me drinking a glass of wine talking about the good old days.” 

Of course, Patrick didn’t respond, but David believed that maybe he would be able to hear him. David bit his lip, stressed, going to his phone to see if Ted made it his house okay. 

Ted  
Hey just got to your house  
Stopped at a Wendy’s on the way and got dinner   
Getting ready for bed. 

After typing a quick thank you, David put his phone away in his pocket and put his attention back on his husband. He held Patrick’s hand again, stroking it with his thumb. Hearing footsteps at the door, he turned his head. 

“Hi, visiting hours are over for the day. You can come back at 8:30.” Dr. Jones stated. “I’m sorry.” 

‘No, I understand.” David nodded, kissing Patrick on the head. 

He walked out to see Alexis talking to a nurse. “So his recovery process, what is that looking like at the moment?” She was taking notes on her phone.

“Well, it’s hard to say at the moment, but several weeks at least.” The nurse replied. 

“Alexis,” David whispered at her. “Let’s go.” 

“We can chat more tomorrow. Thank you for everything you are a woman warrior, don’t forget that.” Alexis began to follow David out of the hospital. 

David got in the car, wanting to get out of the hospital as fast as possible. “Sorry to interrupt you, I just want to go home and sleep.” 

“You’re fine, David. How does he look?” Alexis asked as he started to drive. 

“Scraped up, a little broken. I already know this is going to stay with him and haunt him for a long time.” David sighed. 

“Ted and I can stay as long as you need us to, okay? I mean that.” Alexis smiled.

“Thank you, that means a lot. What are you doing tomorrow?” He asked. 

“The morning, Ted, Beth, and I are going to the store to make sure it’s up and running. Jocelyn is going to stop by and make sure everything is okay a few times, and then in the afternoon, Stevie is going to run it. Ted and Beth might go hiking or something and I’ll go to the hospital.” Alexis read off her schedule. “Don’t thank me again, it was a conjoined effort.”

“That’s impressive that you had any input,” David smirked. 

Alexis ignored the comment. “Mom and Dad want to come down, but I told them you would let them know when is a good time.” She exclaimed. “None of us need that energy right now.” 

“Maybe once Patrick gets back from the hospital, they can.” David kept his eyes on the road. “But yeah, not now. I appreciate the concern though.” A light bulb went off in David’s brain. “Don’t you and Ted have like actual jobs now?” 

“It’s a family emergency, everyone understands, David,” Alexis assured him. 

“Just making sure.”

They drove the rest of the way in silence. Not awkward or unpleasant, but comfortable. David pulled into the driveway, and walked into the house. 

Unexpectedly, he pulled Alexis into a hug. “I know I said it before, but thank you for everything. I mean it.” 

“Anything for you and your family.” Alexis responded, hugging him back. 

“I love you.” David exclaimed. 

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment if you can! It let's me know people are still interested!


	6. Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick is awake and Alexis and Ted are in charge of the store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's been so long! Having the most writer's block for this that I came up with a whole other fanfiction idea. (If you like Stranger Things go check it out)   
> There will be one more chapter with Patrick in the hospital and then it will be about him adjusting to life at home again. This is more of David's POV, but the next chapter will be more of Patrick's.

David got up that morning at eight am, later than he thought he would wake up. He planned to get up early to go to the hospital. He stood up, hearing noises from the bathroom down the hall. He rubbed his eyes and walked down the hallway. 

“Okay, little Rose, repeat after me.” Alexis started putting Beth’s hair in pigtails. “I am great.” 

“I am great.” Beth smiled at herself in the mirror.

“I am brave.” Alexis brushed her hair. David grinned, leaning on the doorframe, neither of them knew he was there.

“I am brave.” 

“I spread joy.” Alexis tied one of the pigtails with a hair tie. 

“I spread joy.” Beth giggled. 

“I love my curly brown hair.” Alexis started on the other pigtail. 

“I love my curly brown hair.” Beth repeated proudly. 

“Hey, you two.” David made himself noticeable. 

“Daddy!” Beth called out, jumping into his arms. 

“Were you good for Uncle Ted last night?” He asked her. 

“Yeah, we got frosty’s!” Beth exclaimed. 

“What are you two doing here?” David smiled. 

“Just saying some affirmations before our day. Always good to have a great mindset. I think we’re going to the cafe for breakfast if you wanna come.” Alexis brought up. 

“No, it’s okay I should go back to the hospital,” David commented. 

“Patrick’s parents and Stevie will meet you there,” Alexis said. “They texted me this morning.” 

“Can I come?” Beth asked eagerly. 

David grimaced. “Not yet, bug. You will soon. I promise.” 

Beth looked down, saddened. “Okay.” 

“You’ll see him, soon.” David tried to cheer her up. “You’re gonna have so much fun with Aunt Alexis and Uncle Ted today.” He kissed her forehead, setting her back down. “I gotta go, but I’ll see you tonight, okay?” 

“I’ll see you later today.” Alexis waved. 

“Yep.” David nodded, kneeling down to Beth’s level. “I love you,” 

“I love you too,” She hugged him around the neck. 

David left the house quickly, in the beginning, to drive to the hospital in his Hyundai SUV. He didn’t know what to think about, every thought landing on his husband's suffering. He plugged his phone into the aux, shuffling his music.   
David laughed when their song, Simply the Best, came on his phone. It probably was his most played one. That song meant a lot to him, and for the whole family. It became Beth’s lullaby at night, one she couldn’t sleep without. One that David would sing to her if she got panicked or anxious to calm her down. Sometimes Patrick would sing it to David to cheer him up if he felt frustrated or mad at something. He would do it until he made his husband smile or laugh. 

For some reason, David felt good about today. He couldn’t understand why or how, but he did. Today was a new day to get through. It would have it’s obstacles, but they could get through it. 

A half-hour later, David drove into the hospital parking lot and walked into the building. He was immediately met with Dr. Jones, who seemed very happy to see David. 

“What’s happening?” David asked. 

“Patrick woke up early this morning.” She told him excitedly. 

David’s eyes went wide. “Oh my god.” He was speechless. 

“He doesn’t seem to have any brain damage of any kind at the moment, which is exactly what we’re looking for.” Dr. Jones put a hand on his arm, supportively. “David, he’s been asking for you.” 

“Can I see him?” David asked, suddenly nervous. 

“Of course.” Dr. Jones nodded. 

“Um, Patrick’s parents and Stevie are coming in a minute…,” He trailed off, texting everyone. 

“I’ll tell them everything, don’t worry.” Dr. Jones smiled. “Go see your husband.” 

David quickly walked to Patrick’s room. He stood at the door frame, nervous. Patrick was lying on his bed, eyes closed, resting. He looked the same as yesterday, but conscious.

“...David? That you?” Patrick asked weakly, hearing his footsteps. 

David lightly gasped, turning around. He walked further in. “Yeah, it’s me.” He sat by his bed. 

“I’m sorry.” Patrick apologized, tears flowing down his face. “I really messed up.” 

“Don’t say that you didn’t do anything.” David held his hand, kissing his forehead. 

“Did I-?” Patrick asked, David already knew what he was asking.

“Everyone that was in the accident is okay. You’re the only one I care about right now.” David sighed. “Your parents, Alexis and Ted came down to help out.” 

“My parents are here?” Patrick asked, shocked. 

“They came as soon as I called them,” David said. “They’re coming soon.” 

“How’s Beth?” Patrick asked. 

“She’s good. She’s braver than I thought she would be. She’s with Alexis and Ted today.” David reported. “They’ve been helping out a lot.” 

“That’s good to hear. My doctor told me that Beth was a little nervous yesterday.” Patrick began. “Beth wanted to tell me that she loved me and to not go anywhere yet. I just wanna see her.” Tears came flowing from his eyes. 

“I know, but she can visit once you’re out of ICU and more stable,” David explained. 

Patrick twisted his lips, not satisfied. “Everything hurts,” Patrick complained, shutting his eyes. “Every breath is painful.” 

“I know. Do you want me to get a nurse?” David asked. 

“They already gave me meds earlier. They can’t give me anymore.” Patrick sighed, shaking his head. He closed his eyes, stressed out. “I keep thinking of the accident.” 

David furrowed his brow. “Wanna tell me about it?” 

“It scares me too much.” Patrick shook his head. “I don’t want to get in that headspace.”

“Everyone says you’re lucky,” David reported. 

“Really?” Patrick asked. 

“Yeah, they do.” David nodded. 

“How’s Stevie?” Patrick asked, still worrying about anyone but himself.

“She’s good, the baby’s good too. Nothing unusual.” 

“I can’t believe this happened, two months before we’re having a baby. I keep worrying I won’t be okay in time, that for some reason I won’t be there.” Patrick worried.

David shook his head, not believing he said that. “You’re going to be there, there is no reason you won’t be. We’ll hear more about your healing process today, and we’ll go from there.” 

“I’m having my knee surgery today, in a few hours actually.” Patrick looked at the clock. 

“That’s good.” David supported him. 

David’s phone started ringing, seeing it was Alexis, he quickly picked it up and put it on speaker. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” David asked, always thinking the negative. 

“Hey, Alexis.” Patrick greeted, breathing deeply. 

“How are you? How do you feel? Do you need anything?” Alexis asked, hurriedly. 

“I feel like I’ve been in a car accident.” Patrick joked. 

“Ha, very funny.” Alexis rolled her eyes. 

“How are things there?” David asked her. 

“That’s what I wanted to call you about. The store has been thriving today.” Alexis said.

“Really?” David raised his eyebrows. 

“For real. Ted and I can barely keep up. I don’t know whether people have found out about Patrick’s accident or what…” Alexis watched people walk in the store. 

“Hey, business is business.” Patrick shrugged. “What are you doing now?” 

“Ted is managing the store for a few minutes while Beth and I take a breather outside.” Alexis smiled at her niece who was busy watching clouds go by in the sky. 

“Can I talk to her?” Patrick asked.

Alexis got her niece’s attention. “Someone wants to talk to you,” She handed her the phone. 

“Daddy?” Beth asked. 

“No, it’s me, Bethie.” Patrick smiled. 

“Poppy!” Beth exclaimed excitedly. David and Patrick both smiled at each other. “I miss you.” Tears started flowing down her face. 

“Hey, I miss you more.” Patrick choked out.

“When can I see you?” Beth asked. 

“Really soon. I promise. Once I get better, you can.” Patrick tried to stay positive. “I wanna see you too, okay?” 

“Okay,” Beth nodded. 

“Maybe Nana and Gramps can watch you tomorrow, how does that sound?” Patrick wanted her to get excited about something. 

“I would like that.” Beth agreed. 

“I thought so,” Patrick commented. 

“Be good for your Aunt and Uncle today, bug,” David said into the phone. “I’ll be home this evening, you and I can hang out tonight.” 

“Okay.” Beth nodded. “I love you.” 

“We love you so much.” Patrick sighed. “See you soon.” He hung up the phone. 

“That’s good to hear about the store,” David commented.

“Yeah, it’s really good to hear.” Patrick nodded. “One less thing we need to worry about.” 

David checked the time. “Your parents are probably here, want me to go get them?” 

“Yeah, I would like that. How are they?” Patrick asked. 

“They’re good. Your mom is fretting about everything and being really supportive. Your dad seems okay.” David wanted to tell the truth. 

“Is he not showing emotion?” Patrick almost laughed. David nodded. “That’s how he deals with things. It’s not healthy but he’ll never change.” 

“Is that how he dealt with you when you were sick?” David asked, tilting his head. “Like when you were younger?” 

“Yep,” Patrick looked around the room. “My mom couldn’t stand it. She would get so mad at him for not being there.” 

“Maybe he’s trying now?” David suggested. 

“We’ll see I guess.” Patrick repositioned himself on the bed, holding his ribs.

“Okay, I won’t be far.” David bent down and kissed Patrick on the head. “I love you.” 

“I love you too.” Patrick smiled. 

David walked out of the hospital room and to where Patrick’s parents and Stevie were waiting. He stood in front of the three of them.

“He’s ready to see you two know. One of you can go first.” David told them, looking worse for wear. “He’s okay, for now, at least.” 

“Marcy, you go first. I’m gonna go take a walk.” Clint stood up, already beginning to walk away. 

Marcy touched David on the shoulder and went to go see her son. David sat beside Stevie, sighing. 

The rest of the afternoon went by horribly slow. Patrick wasn’t in surgery long but David knew that Patrick was not feeling his best. Clint eventually went to go see his son, but didn’t stay longer than ten minutes. Stevie left in the afternoon and was replaced by Alexis who couldn’t wait to tell David about the store. 

“It was like everyone in town showed up,” Alexis told him later that day, as they sat in the waiting room while Patrick was napping. Marcy and Clint went to their motel room an hour ago.

“Huh,” David wondered aloud. “Was it too much for you and Ted?” 

Alexis shook her head. “Not really, once we got the hang of everything and had a system it was fine.” She explained. “Ted was manning the register while Beth and I were managing the crowds, making sure everyone was happy.” 

“I’m a little worried about Stevie now.” David fretted. 

“Jocelyn decided to stay in the afternoon to help her. They’ll be fine.” Alexis eased him. “Ted and Beth are doing a movie day since it’s raining.” 

Alexis and David continued to talk until Dr. Jones walked up to them. “Hey, just to let you know, visiting hours for the ICU is done for the night.” 

“Oh,” David let out. 

“I know how you’re feeling, visiting hours are shorter for the ICU than the other surgical units.” She explained. “But when he wakes up, I’ll tell him everything.” 

“Okay,” David nodded. 

“He’s doing really well, David. Don’t lose hope.” She smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

David was happy to go home, he hated to say it, but it was true. It wasn’t healthy to be sitting there watching his husband all hours of the day. He had to have some time for himself. He shouldn’t be ashamed of that. David knew Patrick would understand.

“I think I’m gonna take Beth out to dinner at the cafe if that’s okay,” David asked as he drove the two of them back to Schitt’s Creek. 

“Of course, she hasn’t seen you in a while. Spend some time with your little Rose.” Alexis grinned. 

David put his eyes back on the road. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.” 

They made it home and Beth immediately ran into David’s arms. 

“Hey, bug.” He kissed her head. “You hungry?”

Beth shook her head. “Uh-huh.” 

“Okay, let’s go get some dinner,” David told her. “Thanks again.” 

The couple waved David off as he walked out the door. 

“What do you want to eat? Chicken nuggets?” David asked her as they sat down at their booth in the cafe. 

“Can I do grilled cheese, fries, and caramel shake, please?” Beth asked quickly, not needing her dad to read off the menu to her. 

“Sure, we can do that. I think I’ll do the same.” He told Twyla once she got to the table. 

Beth looked down, her lip frowning. “It’s his favorite.” 

“C’mere.” David guided her over to his side of the table. “The doctor said he was really good today.” He put her on his lap, hugging her close. 

“I wanna see him, Daddy,” Beth whined. 

“I know, and I want you to see him too. But, you will. I promise.” He rested his chin on her head. “How about tomorrow morning, we’ll call him?”

Beth nodded, happy with the arrangement. They continued to sit on the same side of the booth for the whole dinner, laughing at each other.

“You know, when you were really little, I would bring you here with Grandpa, Grandma, and Aunt Alexis?” He told her, knowing she loved hearing stories like these. 

“Really?” She gasped. 

“Yeah.” David nodded, continuing. “Usually, you sat at the end of the table in a high chair, getting food all over yourself. You always made a mess.” He started to laugh. 

“That’s funny.” Beth giggled. 

That night, Beth and David watched the wedding video Ray made on the master bedroom tv. David knew it wouldn’t be a good night for Beth so he let her stay with him. They both smiled, laughed, and cried at the good memories in the video (although she was a little mad at herself that she fell asleep halfway through the reception). 

“Tomorrow’s a new day, bug. Time to go to sleep.” David said, turning off the bedside lamp. “I love you.” 

“I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Comment! It lets me know people are still interested!


	7. A Special Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone special visits Patrick and he talks about the accident for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for posting late again, I was on vacation and I've also started packing for college.   
> I'm trying my best to get into a regular uploading schedule again so hopefully, there will be another chapter in a few days. (No promises though)  
> This is a very short chapter that I'll admit isn't some of my best work. but I figured a chapter is better than no chapter.   
> I hope you enjoy!

One week later

Patrick was finally able to move out of the ICU unit and into a standard hospital room. He’s barely gotten out of bed, but his stats and vitals have been level for three days straight so Dr. Jones gave him the clear to move rooms. He was relieved that he’s been progressing and healing enough, although he wished it could go by faster. 

David was just checking on the store before he came in. Alexis and Ted were still staying at their house, being the best aunt and uncle to Beth in these times. Stevie came by everyday. His mom was still here, but his dad had to go because he “missed too many days of work”, which was probably bullshit but Patrick just went with it. 

But he missed Beth the most. They called each other every day, but it wasn’t the same. He missed her drawings that she gave him. He missed her laugh. He missed just being a family together. 

He stood up, right by the edge of the bed, one of his newest achievements, while one of his nurses, Cherry, helped him stand up, a walker in place in front of him. 

“This is embarrassing.” Patrick laughed, shaking his head, and being rather unstable standing up. 

“Don’t think about that, think about walking and getting better.” Cherry tried to remind him, her brown ponytail bobbing up and down. “You okay?” She could sense a lot of hesitation.

Patrick nodded, catching his breath. His hands were tightly around the walker, turning white. “Yeah, I’m okay.” 

“Don’t go falling on me, Pat.” Cherry laughed, slowly guiding him to the chair five steps away. She always gave tough love to her patients.

“Can’t give you any promises.” He smiled alongside her, taking one step at a time. 

“You got this.” She told him, not letting him give up.

After two more steps, Patrick finally made it to the chair. He sat down, exhausted. Cherry high-fived him. “Thanks,” He muttered, pulling his IV pole closer to him. 

“I did nothing, it was all you.” Cherry encouraged him. 

David walked into the room shortly after that. “Wait..how did you do that?” Noticing he wasn’t lying in his bed like usual.

“I got up out of the hospital bed and walked over, very slowly, to the chair,” Patrick explained. 

David kissed him. “What an athlete!” He congratulated him. 

“I walked five steps,” Patrick complained. 

“Five more than you did yesterday.” David reminded him. “Because of this big accomplishment, I have a surprise for you.” Cherry walked out of the room to give them space. 

“I don’t want anything, I already have so many gift baskets.” Patrick refused. 

“Oh, you’ll love this one.” David winked. 

Beth came into the room, very cautiously. Patrick’s eyes began to water. “Bethie, it’s just me. I’m okay.” David took a deep breath. 

Beth smiled at that statement, going up to her father and hugging him. “I missed you, Poppy.” 

Patrick gasped, wiping his daughter’s tears. “I think I missed you more.” He kissed her forehead. He set her carefully on his lap, looking over to his husband. “How’d you set this up?” 

“I talked to your doctor yesterday about it and she was all for it, so I brought her here this morning,” David explained, sitting on the bed. 

“Thank you,” Patrick smiled.

“Redmond wanted me to tell you that he says hi,” Beth told him, smiling wide as ever. “He misses his morning walks.” 

“So do I,” Patrick said. 

Every morning, Patrick would wake up early to take Redmond on his walk. Sometimes Beth went along with them if she woke up early enough. Very rarely David would get up that early. If they all went together, they would go to the cafe for breakfast before work. 

Beth started asking Patrick all about his stay at the hospital. “Do you get room service?” 

He laughed. “Something like it, yeah.” 

“Do you stay in your pj's all day?” She asked, looking up at him. 

“Pretty much.” 

“How are you?” David asked, wanting him to tell the truth. 

“I’m okay.” Patrick nodded, slightly lying. 

David decided to drop it, not wanting to get into an argument in front of their daughter. He put on his best fake smile, trying his best to enjoy the moment.

Beth stayed there the rest of the morning, wanting to spend as much time with her father as she could. She eventually left when Ted was there to pick her up. 

“She really missed you, you know,” David commented. 

Patrick nodded. “I know. I wish she could stay longer, but I could tell she was getting a little bored.” 

“She’ll be back tomorrow.” David reminded him. Patrick grimaced, holding his chest. “Are you okay?”

“Hurts to breathe sometimes.” Patrick breathed out. 

“Want me to get your nurse?” David asked. 

Patrick shook his head. “No, it’s normal. Please don’t.” He twisted his lips. “I just wanna go home.” 

“So do I.” David rubbed his arm. 

“I wish this didn’t happen.” Patrick sighed. 

“What’s wrong?” David asked, worried.

“Everything is wrong. I got in a car accident, that’s what’s wrong. I’m going to need more heart surgeries down the line because of this. It’s all my fault.” Patrick complained. 

“How is this your fault?” David didn’t understand. 

“I should’ve gotten a heart surgery maybe a few months ago. But I didn’t, I pushed it off. I think if I did do the surgery, I wouldn’t have gotten in the accident.” Patrick explained. 

“You don’t know if that’s true. Don’t think like that. All you can focus on right now is getting better.” David tried to assure him. 

“Sure,” He agreed.

“Do you wanna talk about the accident?” David asked. 

“I was driving home on the highway. I start feeling this tightness in my chest. Then there was pain all over my body. I thought something was up but I wasn’t anywhere I could stop. I started getting really fatigued and dizzy. That’s when I knew something was up, something wasn’t right.” Patrick looked down. “It was overwhelming pain going through me. I tried to pull over but I couldn’t see anything, everything just went black. I don’t remember anything after that.” 

“You’ll be okay. You’ll come home soon.” David reminded him. 

“I hope so. I want life to be normal again.” Patrick wished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment! Lets me know that people are interested!


	8. Improvement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick gets good news and Beth starts kindergarten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter, I'm sorry. I started college this week and everything is a little overwhelming and I'm doing the best mental health-wise. We have to quarantine in our dorm rooms and I'm just lonely atm. But, I'm doing okay. Although I've never been in a car wreck, I kinda relate to Patrick in this chapter. He's unsure but know's he'll be okay for the most part.

It turned September quickly, as Beth turned five years old and started her first year of kindergarten. It wasn’t how they thought this year would start with Patrick’s accident and all, but they were happy he was improving and out of the hospital. 

“We’ll see you later, okay?” David asked her, in front of her new classroom with her new teacher, Mrs. Johnson, standing by. He kneeled down and hugged his daughter. 

Beth went over and hugged Patrick’s legs, not letting go. “Aunt Stevie will pick you up and take you home. You and I can do something before Dad comes home.” He patted her head, not able to kneel down yet because of his knee surgery. 

“We love you so much,” David waved, standing up. 

“Be brave,” Patrick told her as her teacher guided her into the classroom. 

“She’ll have a great time.” Mrs. Johnson assured them with a smile. 

Patrick sat on the couch, bored out of his mind. Although he’s been out of the hospital for three weeks now, he still wasn’t quite ready to go back to work. In the beginning when he was in bedrest, it was fine. David was still there and would keep him company. But the past week, he’s been by himself as David went back to work and brought Beth with him so she would be out of the way. 

Ted and Alexis left three weeks ago, but not before fully putting together a nursery for them as David and Patrick never got a chance to before the accident. Marcy left a few days after, with Patrick practically begging her to leave. 

Patrick sat down on the couch, turning on the tv looking for something to watch on Netflix. Redmond got out on the couch, laying right next to him. He started to watch a movie, something mindless to get his mind off of things. He started to doze off. 

He woke up with a startle, from Stevie slamming the door shut. Redmond jumped up, going to say hi to the new guest. 

“Hi, Stevie,” Patrick yawned, rubbing his eye. 

She adjusted the hoodie on her. “Hey, Patrick. Ready for therapy?”

Patrick got up, grabbing his crutch. “I guess I have to, right?” 

“We’re gonna be late.” Stevie acknowledged. 

They got into Stevie’s car and started driving to Elmdale. Stevie assumed this position as no one else could take him and he wasn’t cleared to drive yet. He wasn’t even sure yet if he wanted to start driving again. 

“I’m sorry you have to drive me to therapy all the time.” Patrick apologized. “I know your job is getting demanding.” 

“I’m literally the only one besides Ronnie who could drive you, and she doesn’t like you. And I cut down on my hours at the motel a little bit because of the spawn.” Patrick laughed at that. “Besides, you’re my best friend’s husband and I’m carrying your future child, so I kinda had to.” 

“I can’t believe in about a month, we’re getting a baby.” Patrick smiled. 

“Thank god, I don’t know if I can take it any longer.” Stevie chuckled. 

“I know we’ve said this so many times, but thank you for doing this.” Patrick thanked her. 

“How are you?” Stevie asked, looking over at him. 

“I’m okay.” Patrick lowered his head, wanting to change the subject. “You know, we dropped Beth at kindergarten today. She was nervous, I think, but she’s ready. I wasn’t sure when she started pre-k, but I’m sure now.” Patrick rambled. “She’s growing up. Hard to imagine.” 

Stevie patted his shoulder. “David was near tears when he called me this morning. He said the same thing. She was so tiny when they came here. And now she’s five?” Patrick turned his head, thinking hard. “Something’s bothering you, what is it?” 

Patrick exhaled. “I became Beth’s dad later, I wasn’t there when she was born. But she’s my daughter. I’m her father in every aspect that David is, you know?” Patrick shook his head. “But I have this terrible feeling th-that I won’t be there when this baby is born. I won’t be okay yet. I can barely walk without my crutch. I need to be there.” He didn’t even know he was crying. 

“Patrick, you’re going to be there. I’ve been coming with you every other day for your physical therapy appointments. I’ve seen with my own eyes how you’ve been improving nearly every day. You’ll be in there, standing on your own two feet, right by my side just like David.” Stevie assured him. 

“God, since when did you get so good at that?” Patrick chuckled, wiping his eyes. 

“It’s the hormones. Now, no more tears in the car.” Stevie jokingly ordered. 

“You got it.” 

“Are you nervous about it?” She asked him. 

“I don’t know, a little. Cause I’ve never been a dad to a baby, but I know David and I will figure everything out. And Beth is just so excited.” Patrick exclaimed, already beaming. 

-

Physical therapy was hard for Patrick. Not because it was physically hard, it was just mentally draining for him. But he was getting better and that was all that mattered. 

“Okay, I’m gonna say it, you are cleared to drive again.” His physical therapist said. 

“You think so?” Patrick asked. Stevie stood up next to him. 

“Yeah, and your balance is good enough where you don’t need your crutch anymore. Obviously, take it slow. But I think by next week, you're good to go to work. I know it doesn’t feel like it, but you are progressing extremely well. We like to see that. We’ll see you in four days.”

“Thank you, so much.” Patrick nodded. 

Stevie smiled at her friend. “Congrats.” 

They ended up at the cafe, both of them eating burgers. Then they decided to stop by the Apothecary, wanting to surprise David.

“Hey,” Patrick walked in, very slowly, but it was faster than he's ever walked before. Stevie walked next to him. 

David looked up, happy to see them. “Hey,” He kissed his husband. “How was physical therapy?” 

“It was good.” Patrick nodded, stuffing his hands in his pocket. Stevie tried not to give away anything. 

“Wait, something’s different.” He looked up and down. “Where’s your crutch? You’re walking!” 

“I don’t need it anymore. They think that in a week I’m able to come back to work.” Patrick smiled wide as ever. 

“Oh, thank god.” David hugged him tightly. 

“I’m doing really well,” Patrick whispered into David’s shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments! It lets me know people are still interested.


	9. It's a....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stevie let's something secret slip out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me updating before a week. Another shorter chapter but since this is the last chapter before the birth I thought it would be okay. College is getting better, haven't started classes yet so we'll see how those go. (Make sure you read the end notes)

Three weeks have passed and Patrick has gone back to work. He is walking around great, and his ribs aren’t giving him any trouble anymore. Patrick isn’t allowed to lift heavy objects quite yet, but other than that, he was fine. 

“I basically had to force Stevie in her bed this morning.” David commented as Patrick stayed behind the counter. David was putting away body lotion. 

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Patrick laughed, refilling the receipt machine. 

Two days ago at their latest appointment, they found out that Stevie had high blood pressure and needed to be on bed rest as a safety precaution. Patrick and David offered to take off work to take care of her, but she refused, knowing they both needed to work. She was allowed to do small chores and go to the kitchen to make food, but that was it. 

“I’m worried about her, do you think she’s lonely?” David asked, worried about his best friend. 

“Stevie? No, she’s the most introverted person I know.” Patrick said as David walked up closer. “She just likes to keep busy.” 

“We are literally days away from the due date,” David smiled. 

“Four days.” Patrick beamed. “I meant to talk to you about this earlier-.” 

“What’s wrong?” David instantly worried.

“Nothing’s wrong.” Patrick eased him. “Obviously it was hard for you to work here alone when I was getting better. And it’s gonna be harder when the baby comes. We haven’t talked about who’s staying home until we find childcare.” 

David knew where Patrick was going. “We aren’t hiring anyone.” 

“It can just be an extra pair of hands. It won’t be full-time.” Patrick crossed his arms. 

David tried to argue, but couldn’t find any reasons. “Wait, but money?” 

“We’ll make it work, maybe we can grow this way. We can get a full staff and everything.” Patrick raised an eyebrow. 

“No, I am not going to be known as the “Manager”, that’s where I cross the line.” David rolled his eyes. 

“Okay, fine.” Patrick leaned over and kissed his husband. “Also I think we need to get Alexis and Ted to watch the store at least for a few days while we’re adjusting to everything. That way we’re only closed for like a day or two.” 

David nodded, understanding. “Hopefully that will run smoothly like it did last time.” 

“Maybe we can finally take Beth to the trail after work? Go bring dinner to Stevie before?” Patrick asked.

“Why the trail?” David asked. 

“When I asked her for her permission to marry you, she asked me if I could take her there. I never got the chance.” Patrick explained. “We don’t need to go.”

“No, I want to, are you sure you’re up to it? Physically?” David questioned. “I mean last time, you did get your foot stabbed with a branch.” 

Patrick smiled. “I’ll be fine, and knowing Beth, we’ll take many breaks along the way.” 

-

Patrick greeted Beth at the end of the school day with a hug and a kiss as always. David and he switched days to pick Beth up. “Hey, Bethie.” He hugged her tight. 

“To the store?” Beth asked. 

“To the store,” Patrick nodded, grabbing her backpack. They held hands as they walked to the apothecary. Patrick enjoyed moments like these, just spending time with his daughter, knowing these memories would last forever.

It was a long day, but they still went forward with their idea from earlier. David knew it was important for Patrick to do this, so they continued on. 

They ordered take-out from the cafe and headed to Stevie’s apartment. Knowing her door was unlocked, they walked in. 

“Delivery!” Beth yelled as she walked in. She ran to Stevie’s room. With both parents laughing behind her, they came into Stevie’s room. 

“Hey,” Stevie said, too busy hugging Beth.

“We brought you dinner,” David answered. “We got you a salad and a smoothie.” He handed her the bag, sitting on the bed. 

“No more salad, I want a burger,” Stevie complained. “All throughout this pregnancy, you’ve given me so many smoothies and juices, I’m so done. _She’s_ so done. All _she_ wants-.”

“She?” Patrick asked while David was too speechless. “It’s a girl?” 

Stevie covered her mouth. “Shit!” She realized Beth was laying right next to her. “Fuck! So sorry.” 

David stood up next to Patrick. They both were too surprised to argue. “How’d you know?” 

“I went back and asked the doctor the other day, she told me it was a girl,” Stevie replied. “I’m so sorry.”

Patrick looked like he could start crying any second, as did David. They turned to each other and hugged. “It’s a girl,” David whispered. 

“A girl,” Patrick breathed. 

“You wanted a boy,” David realized, pulling out of the embrace. 

Patrick shook his head. “I thought it was a boy, but I was proven wrong. I don’t care. All we can hope for right now that she comes out healthy.” They kissed. 

“I’m getting a sister?” Beth spoke up. 

They looked over at her. “Yeah, bug. You’re gonna get a little sister.” David told her, sniffling.

Beth leaned over until she was right over Stevie’s bump. “I’m gonna be the best big sister. I love you.” She whispered. 

Patrick and David both looked at each other, full of pride. 

-

“Is this the hike you took Daddy on?” Beth asked as they began their hike. 

“Yes, do you want us to tell you about it?” Patrick asked, sporting the ever-fashionable fanny pack that was packed full of snacks and bandaids.

Beth nodded, catching up to them. “Please?” David held her hand so she would run away. 

“Well we started the hike and your dad was complaining about why we had to exercise.” Patrick smiled at his husband. Beth grabbed Patrick’s hand. 

“You said a picnic, not a full-on adventure,” David argued, jokingly. 

Patrick let out a laugh. “Well, then I knew you wouldn’t go.” 

“Fair enough,” David commented. “Continue with the story.” 

“Your dad kept complaining about how his back was sore and the backpack was heavy. So I said we could end it and turn around.” Patrick told her as she listened very intently, wanting to hear every word. “Then I stepped on a branch. And it went through my shoe.” 

“No!” Beth exclaimed. 

“And your poppy didn’t bring a first aid kit but luckily I had hand sanitizer to disinfect it.” David explained, swinging their arms.

“You basically saved the day,” Beth exclaimed. 

“Basically,” David agreed. 

“Then your dad wanted to keep going so we did, but I was limping and I was in the musical, Cabaret, Grammy was directing so I _had_ to dance.” Patrick kept telling the story. 

“You _had_ to!” She looked around at the wildlife around her. 

“See, she understands,” Patrick joked. “We’re gonna pause the story until we’re somewhere special.” 

“Where?” She questioned. 

“You’ll see,” David answered. 

A few minutes later and Beth was already complaining. “I’m tired!” She yelled, kicking up dirt with her shoes. She was already behind. 

“Like father, like daughter.” Patrick laughed, making David roll his eyes. He turned to the five-year-old. “Beth, we’re more than half-way there. C’mon.” 

Beth sat down in the middle of the trail, crossing her arms. “Always one for dramatics, aren’t you?” David laughed, pulling her up. He squatted down.

“C’mon, get on.” Beth got on, draping her arms around his neck, resting her head on his back. 

Patrick laughed at them. “This is funny how this turned out.”

“Didn’t know I’d have to carry two people up this mountain.” David gave Patrick one of his signature glares. 

“Well, you look great,” Patrick commented. 

They eventually made it to the signature spot just as the sun was setting. Beth decided she was immediately hungry, eating a granola bar from Patrick’s fanny pack. They all sat on a log, watching the sunset. 

“Can you finish?” Beth asked, quietly, settling into David’s lap. 

“So I took your Dad to this spot and told him to set up everything. Then I told him to reach into this one pocket and he pulled out his engagement rings.” Patrick replied, wrapping an arm around David’s shoulder. 

“Did you say yes?” She tilted her head backward to look up at her dad. 

“Of course, how could I say no?” David leaned over and kissed Patrick. 

“Are you excited to have a sister?” Patrick asked her. 

Beth nodded. “I think so. Do you think Red will like her?” 

Patrick and David both looked at each other, trying not to smile. “Oh, I’m sure. He likes you after all.” David laughed. "Besides, it probably means more food will be dropped on the floor for him to eat."

“In less than a week, we could have a whole new addition to our family.” Patrick sighed happily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, question time! What should they name Brewer-Rose baby #2? I have some ideas, but would love to know if you guys had any!


	10. Brewer-Rose Baby #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stevie goes into labor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally the chapter! I start classes tomorrow so I decided to post this one in case I don't have a chance to upload in a while. I was amazed by all the comments in the last chapter, thank you for all the suggestions! I hope everyone likes her name, I'm in love with it.

It started with a phone call at 3 am a week after Stevie’s due date. Stevie said she thought she was having contractions. David and Patrick didn’t take any chances and quickly packed everything up. 

“Do we have the go bag?” David asked, already pacing around. 

“Got it!” Patrick exclaimed, holding it up. 

“We got this, right?” David asked, unsure. 

“Uh, sure?” Patrick responded. “We’ll find out.” 

David looked Patrick up and down. “Please tell me you aren’t wearing that.” He was still wearing his pajamas as he was walking out of the bedroom. “Please change. You’re going to be making a first impression today.”

“Can’t I stay?” Beth complained in the doorway of Twyla’s apartment. She agreed to watch the five-year-old while they were at the hospital.

“Maybe in the morning, Twyla can drop you off at the hospital,” Patrick told her. Twy nodded, agreeing. 

A few minutes later, they arrived at Stevie’s apartment. She was walking around her home, breathing deeply. 

“Okay, is this it?” David asked. 

Stevie rolled her eyes. “No, just kidding, false alarm.” She groaned. 

“Okay, let’s go to the hospital.” Patrick gestured to the door. 

“No!” Stevie yelled in pain. “I don’t wanna go.” 

“This is a change of plans.” David grimaced, trying his best to be supportive. 

“Why not?” Patrick began to pace with her. 

“Bad things happen at hospitals, I don’t want this to be a bad day,” Stevie whined, holding her back. 

“I don’t think the birth of our daughter is gonna be a bad day.” David reminded her. “Everything will be okay.” He was surprisingly being calm in the situation.

“What if I can’t do it?” Stevie stopped walking, looking the couple in their eyes. 

“We know you can,” Patrick assured her, nodding. 

“Okay,” Stevie nodded. “Let’s go have a baby.” 

Stevie was 15 hours in labor and definitely not happy. 

“Remind me to never do this again,” Stevie yelled through a contraction. Patrick was sitting in a big chair in a corner with Bethany on his lap, trying to entertain her while David was holding Stevie’s hand. 

“Noted,” David said, wincing since Stevie was digging her nails through his skin. 

“Is she here yet?” Bethany complained, getting squirmy in her father’s lap. 

“Not yet, honey. You gotta be a little more patient. She is taking her time.” Patrick explained, stroking her arms. Bethany sighed, slouching. He was trying to read her a book, but she couldn’t take it any longer. 

“This baby is taking too much time,” Stevie complained, moving her hand along her stomach. “Have you two picked out some names yet?” 

“We have some options, but none of them seemed to fit. Patrick is too indecisive to choose a name.” David mentioned, eyeing his husband from across the room. 

Patrick threw his hands up. “It has to be a perfect name,” Patrick argued back, while Stevie shook her head in disbelief. “To show how perfect she will be.” 

“That was way too corny. Stop talking.” David made a face at his husband. 

Patrick smirked just as Stevie’s doctor walked in. She looked at Stevie’s information and tests on the clipboard at the edge of her bed. “Is it time?” Stevie whined. 

“Not yet. We may have to do a c-section in a couple of hours if you don't progress anymore.” The doctor explained. “Right now, you are eight centimeters dilated, we’re almost there.” And with that, she left.

“I swear to god. I can’t take it any longer. I’m going to go home.” Stevie began to try to get up from the bed. “I’ll do a water birth, those seem cool.” 

David lightly pushed her back on the bed. “You are going nowhere. You are having this baby. It’s too late now, there’s no turning back.” He tried to give her a pep talk, but it wasn’t doing much. 

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Stevie cried out, bawling. 

David grabbed one of her hands as Patrick went to stand by her side, grabbing her other hand. “You can do this. You are Stevie Budd. The Stevie Budd I know is not a quitter. She’s amazing.” Patrick reminded her. 

“You sound like a quote in a trashy teen magazine.” Stevie groaned, barely breathing. 

“We’re right here, no one is going anywhere. You got this.” David moved her sweaty gross hair out of her face. 

Two hours later, much to Stevie’s chagrin, it was time. Bethany was quickly whisked out of the room to sit with their family in the waiting room before they began the dirty business. After another half hour or so, the baby arrived. 

“Congratulations, it’s a girl.” The doctor announced. 

David and Patrick immediately started to cry, both amazed at their new daughter. The nurses immediately put the baby on Stevie’s chest. Stevie started sobbing, seeing what she helped her friends create. 

“Oh, David.” Patrick sighed, speechless. Tears were coming from both of their eyes as well. David put his arm around his husband's waist, him crying as well. 

She was wrinkled and purple, but she was the most amazing and beautiful thing David and Patrick had ever seen. They kissed each other, still not believing what happened. They watched over Stevie, amazed at their friend. 

“I think I have an idea for the name,” Patrick whispered in David’s ear. 

-

David and Patrick walked back into Stevie's room after telling their family. 

“They said she was sent back for testing, but they’ll bring her in after,” Stevie told them. David sat on the side of her bed. 

“You did amazing in there, Stevie.” Patrick smiled, pulling up a chair. 

“Thank you,” David whispered, beaming. 

“Don’t you wanna be with her? Watch over her?” Stevie asked.

Patrick shook his head. “Not right now, we wanna be with you.” 

Stevie nodded, not wanting to argue. “Okay,” She looked over at David who seemed to be going through a lot of emotions. “Do you feel the same as you did with Beth?” 

David thought hard. “Yeah, I mean. With Beth, I didn’t know I was going to be a single father, I didn’t know that’s how it would end up for us. But when I looked at her in the NICU for the first time, I wanted it so bad. I loved her so much.” He looked over at Patrick. “When I saw Evie for the first time, it was the exact same feeling.” 

Stevie turned her head. “You picked out a name?” 

Patrick nodded. “Yeah, Evie Marcella Brewer-Rose. You did this for us, which is the best gift anyone could have given us. So we wanted to make that shown.” 

“We thought about just naming her Stevie, but that would be too complicated.” David smiled. 

“I already know she’s gonna be the best kid.” Stevie chuckled. “Just full of spunk.” 

“How are you feeling?” Patrick asked. 

“A little sore, a little emotional, but I’m okay,” Stevie answered. 

“Do you think you want your own kids now?” David questioned. 

“Probably not, being a fun aunt is enough.” Stevie chuckled. “But who knows. But I know I will never be pregnant again. This was the worst thing I’ve ever been through.” 

David and Patrick laughed. “Well, we can’t thank you enough,” Patrick said. 

-

“Okay, daddies. Meet your new baby.” The doctor came in after running tests and cleaning her, holding her in her arms. Patrick and David looked at each other with excitement. 

She handed her off to Patrick, while David stood in front of him, the two of them making a sandwich figure between them and the baby. Stevie took a cute picture of the three of them. 

“Hi Evie, I’m your Poppy.” David could swear tears were going down Patrick’s face. “David, She’s perfect,” Patrick whispered, glancing at his husband who was about to cry. 

“She is, isn’t she?” David kissed Patrick.

“I just want to keep looking at her,” Patrick smiled down at their new addition to the family. 

“I’m fine with that,” David responded, kissing her head before turning to the nurse. “You ran tests and everything? She’s healthy?” 

David still had this worry inside in that what happened last time with Bethany was going to happen this time as well. He didn’t tell Patrick because he would say it would all go smoothly, but that’s what people told him last time, and look how that turned out? But right now, he was busy admiring his new daughter to say anything negative. 

“She is perfectly healthy.” The doctor said, smiling. 

“No problems?” Patrick was quivering his smile. 

“Everything is great. A nurse will be back in a little bit. Congrats you two.” She left the room.

“She’ll be fine, you guys,” Stevie said before the two could start talking. “She will live the best life. Trust me.”

David took a deep sigh. He looked at Patrick who furrowed his brow. “For months, I was scared-” He stopped himself from saying too much. 

Patrick kissed David’s forehead. “So was I, but she’s perfect, David. She’s healthy. We can do this….She’s only been a part of my life for such a small amount of time, but I love her so much.” He wiped his eyes. 

“She’s wonderful,” David whispered. 

“I promise to keep you safe and make sure that your life is full of amazing moments. I’ll always be there for you, even when you think no one else is.” Patrick sniffled. “I will always protect you from harm, even though I’m a lover, not a fighter. But I think that’s pretty obvious.” David rolled his eyes. “I’ll teach you how to throw a baseball and how to play guitar or piano…. Our family is a little insane, but you’ll love them so much you have no idea.”

They stood there slowly swaying side to side. David put his hands on Patrick’s shoulders and leaned forward so that their foreheads touched. Stevie quietly continued to take more pictures of the special moment before closing her eyes, taking a nap.

“Here,” Patrick said after a few minutes, handing her over to a very nervous David. “Go say hi to Daddy.” Patrick moved behind David and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, kissing his cheek. 

“...Hi,” David mustered up to say, too busy observing every detail of her. “I’m your Dad.” 

She had striking blue eyes that resembled the bright sky, very much unlike Patrick’s dark brown eyes. She opened her eyes and was looking around, observing everything that was happening. 

Patrick looked at David who was in deep thought. “What are you thinking about?”

“Life...I don’t know...If you’d asked me ten years ago that I would get married and have two daughters, I would’ve laughed in your face. But I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love our little family.” David sighed in wonderment, smiling. 

“Me too, David. Me too,” Patrick muttered, smiling, tears coming down his face. 

“I promise that I’ll always believe in you. I’ll never leave you stranded. I’m not good with these kinds of things so bear with me.” David grimaced. “I’ll always love you, that won’t ever change. Don’t ever forget that. I’ll teach you how to do a proper skincare routine and how to put on makeup. But your sister may beat me to those things. You’re going to love your life. It’s going to be so great. You are so wanted and loved.” David smiled, clearing his throat. 

After a few more minutes of enjoying their new arrival, there was a knock on the door. Bethany stood in the doorway, ready to see her new sister. 

“Hey, come in,” Patrick whispered, not wanting to wake up the baby. He went over and picked Beth up. They walked over to where David was standing.

“Meet your new sister,” David told her, smiling. 

Bethany gasped. “Wow, can I hold her?"

“Of course,” David answered. “Here, go sit down over there.” Patrick set her down in the chair in the corner. Bethany held her arms out like she’s done it many times before. David handed the baby to Bethany. “Support her head ...yeah..just like that.” 

Patrick started snapping pictures of the adorableness. “What do you think?” 

“She’s cute. What’s her name?” She asked, staring at her new sister, who’d fallen back to sleep. 

“Evie,” David told her. 

“Like Aunt Stevie?” Beth asked, whispering. 

“Exactly.” David nodded. 

“I’m your big sister. My name is Bethany Claire Rose. Most people call me Beth though. Besides Poppy; he calls me Bethie. But that’s our thing.” Patrick and David raised their eyebrows at each other. “You’ll probably have a lot of questions about life. I will answer all of them. Do not worry.” Bethany smiled wide. “Our dads are pretty cool. They're the coolest people I know.” David elbowed Patrick lightly in the side, making him grin. “Poppy gives good gifts. He’s patient, sings really good, and he can make me laugh.” Patrick tried his best not to cry for the tenth time that day. “Then there’s Daddy. Daddy has the best sweaters. He’s caring, gives good answers, and will never break a promise.” David shook his head, tears already streaming. “Then there’s Nana, she bakes the best apple pie, Gramps; he’s good at fixing things, Auntie Alexis; she’s a little hyper, she’s with Uncle Teddy, they’re getting married, Uncle Teddy makes really funny jokes. Then there’s Grammy; she tells the best stories, Grampy; he gives the best hugs, and finally, Aunt Stevie. Aunt Stevie isn’t really related to us but she basically is. She’s the best. That’s our family. You’ll get used to it.” Beth ended her pep talk, looking up to her fathers who were beaming down at her. “Was that good? I don’t know what else to say.” 

“It was perfect, Bethie. Great job.” Patrick high-fived her before putting Evie in her bassinet. 

David placed Beth on his lap, sitting down on the chair. Patrick sat down on the arm of the chair. They both were immensely proud of their little family and where they’ve become. They were so happy, they could start crying in seconds.

“Can she sleep in my room?” Beth innocently asked. 

“I don’t think so. I’m afraid you snore too loud and you’ll wake her up.” Patrick teased. “She’ll sleep in her own nursery.”

“Fair enough,” Beth commented, shrugging. She thought for a moment. “How are babies made?”

Patrick and David looked at each other with wide eyes. “Let’s cross that bridge another moment in time.” David nodded, avoiding the conversation. 

-

“Everyone, please say a warm welcome to Evie Marcella Brewer-Rose,” Patrick exclaimed as Moira, Johnny, Alexis, and Ted came walking in. Everyone already started fawning over the new addition. 

Moira and Johnny looked down at their new grandchild in Patrick’s arms. “Oh, Pat. She’s so exquisite.” 

“You did a good job, son.” Johnny patted him on the back. 

Patrick smiled back genuinely. “Thank you, Mr. Rose.” He was still too scared to call David’s parents by their first names. 

“Okay, David, I want to hold my new niece,” Alexis ordered, not taking no for an answer. Bethany climbed up on Stevie’s bed, cuddling up next to her. 

Patrick carefully put Evie in Alexis’s arms, and Evie immediately started screaming her head off. Alexis made an annoyed face as everyone else in the room tried not to laugh. 

“Is it too late to give her back? She’s way too loud.” Bethany loudly exclaimed, being serious. She jumped off of the bed and clamored her way in front of her dad's. 

“Bethany honey, you better start getting used to it. Because you can’t return a baby.” David responded, trying to get his voice heard above Evie’s. 

“Ugh,” Bethany rolled her eyes, stomping loudly in place. She sat down on the floor, clearly mad.

“Bethany, why don’t you come outside in the hall with your Grammy,” Moira asked, walking up to her, holding her hand out for her granddaughter to take. “We can take a walk and stretch our legs.” 

“Okay,” Bethany got up and linked hands with Moira. 

They began to walk through the halls of the hospital. “Now tell me the reasoning of your outburst in there.” 

“They aren’t gonna love me anymore. Evie will get all the attention and love that they will run out of it for me.” Bethany started crying. “...Grammy, will you still love me?”

“Of course I’ll love you. Your fathers will always cherish you. Just because there is a new bébé, doesn’t mean they don’t love you anymore. Taking care of a new child takes a lot of time and hard work, so at times their attention maybe towards her a little more, but will they still love you just the same.” Moira smiled down at her granddaughter. “I should know, your grandfather and I raised two perfect children turned adults.”

“I guess so,” Beth mumbled. 

“What do you mean, Beth?” Moira asked. 

“Everything keeps changing, I don’t like it,” Beth complained. “I miss everyone.”

“Oh, Beth.” Moira’s heart quivered, hugging her granddaughter. “So do I.” 

“I miss you and Grampy and Auntie Alexis a lot, Grammy.” Beth sobbed as they both sat down on a bench. 

“Oh, I love you, my sweet granddaughter.” Moira pulled Beth in close to her. “I miss you more than the sun misses the moon.”

“Can you move back?” Beth pleaded. “You can stay in my room?”

“You know, let me conspire with your Grampy and we’ll let you know. Maybe we’ll need to get another house,” Moira thought aloud. 

“Thanks, Grammy,” She said, not fully believing her. “Can we go back now?” 

“Of course, deary,” Moira said, as Bethany was already pulling her back into the room. 

“Hey, you two.” David greeted them back into the room. Johnny was now holding the baby, as Patrick looked proudly on while Alexis talked to Stevie. David got Patrick’s attention and they walked up to them both. 

“Little Beth over here thought you wouldn’t love her anymore,” Moira explained as Bethany wipes the last of her tears. 

“Bethany, just because Evie is here does not mean we don’t love you the same. We have always loved you and will continue to love you.” David explained, bringing his daughter into a hug. Moira walked over to her husband. “I’ll love you for eternity.”

“Poppy?” She asked, softly, wanting him to say the same thing. 

“Bethie, you will always be my partner in crime. Although now, Evie will have to join in on the fun, won’t she?” He commented, brushing her hair out of her face. “I love you forever.”

“I love you too,” Bethany replied, attacking Patrick with a giant hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments always appreciated!


	11. Adjusting to Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Rose Apothecary may get a new employee and Patrick and David try to adjust to their new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! This chapter was very easy to write, tbh. It's shorter but felt like ended naturally where it is (does that even make sense?). My first week of classes has just ended and things are getting better. 
> 
> I think Marley might already be one of my favorite characters. At first, she was just going to be a side character but I think she can add a lot to the story. I hope you guys like her as much as I do.

Patrick and David started looking for employees right after Evie was born. They knew they could trust Alexis and Ted with the store, but they knew it wouldn’t last forever. It started when David was watching the store for an hour so Alexis and Ted could get dinner. 

“Hi, I saw you were hiring?” A girl walked in. 

“Hm?” David shaking himself from a daydream. He was barely getting any sleep. Instead of his usual avant-garde fashion choices he wore plain black sweatpants and a black sweatshirt to match. “Oh, yeah. Your name?” 

“Marley Davis, I just graduated from Schitt's Creek High, unfortunately.” She grimaced at the last part. 

David looked her up and down, seeing if she was fit for the position. She had her hair pulled in a messy bun with a bandana on to catch her yellow-haired fly-aways. Marley had on a crop top and a cardigan on, with a baggy pair of ripped mom jeans and a pair of sandals to complete the look. He made a face when he saw the nose piercing and the multiple tattoos. 

“I feel your pain. May I ask why you aren’t in college or backpacking through Europe?” David leaned on the counter. 

“I don’t know, man, maybe I’ll go to college someday. I just don’t like learning that much, all the tests and stuff, you know?” Marley answered casually. 

“I didn’t go to college either, I think I ended up somewhat okay.” David smiled, trying to be agreeable. 

“Really living it up in Schitt’s Creek.” Marley chuckled. 

“It wasn’t really my choice,” David spoke up. “So why are you applying to work here?” David asked, remembering what she was here for.

“Honestly, my parents keep yelling at me to move out and stuff but I don’t have any money. I can never be a waitress and I don’t even think the cafe is hiring…,” Marley rambled. 

“Let me guess, you just saw the sign and walked in?” David questioned, somewhat annoyed but also amused. 

“Yeah,” Marley scratched her neck. 

“Did you at least bring a resume?” He was getting a little irritated. 

Marley shifted on her feet. “Well, this will be my first job. I mean, I’ve babysat before and I watched my neighbor’s dog, but nothing else. I did write my contact info on this post-it.” She put it on the register.

“Have you ever been to Rose Apothecary before?” David felt he already knew her answer. 

“I think to get a pack of gum?” Marley wondered, already knowing this wasn’t going well. 

David sighed, feeling like this was going like his first interview at the Blouse Barn. “I’m gonna tell you about the store okay?” Marley nodded, slightly scared. “My husband, Patrick, and I started this together. We weren’t even married then-but that’s beside the point. This store is about bringing local products to the buyers in an easy and sustainable way. We haven’t needed any other employees till now. Our first daughter, Beth, started kindergarten this year and we have a newborn, Evie, at home so we need help, okay?” 

“Congrats, that’s pretty big.” Marley tried to please him. 

“Thanks,” David shook his head. “Anyway, you have been the only one that wants to be hired here so far.” 

“So does that mean….?” Marley questioned. 

“Not so fast,” David added. “I’ll talk to Patrick about you tonight and one of us will give you a call tomorrow. Maybe someone else will show up.” 

“That could happen.” Marley snickered. 

“Thin ice,” David warned, slightly sarcastic. 

“Is there a dress code?” She asked. 

“You’re not even hired yet, but no.” David smiled. 

“Cool, see ya, Boss.” Marley waved, leaving out of nowhere. 

David wondered if he dreamt the whole conversation or if he was that sleep-deprived. Alexis and Ted walked in as she left. 

“She may be working for us soon.” David pointed out. 

“That’ll be good for your store, it may give us a break,” Alexis replied. She realized the tone of what she said. “You know we love helping you out.” 

“Mhm.” David nodded. 

“How’s Evie?” Ted asked, changing the subject. 

“She hates sleeping, loves to scream. But she’s doing great.” David beamed.

“How’s little Rose dealing with littler Rose?” Alexis asked, tapping his shoulder. 

“Better than Patrick and I thought she would. She’s getting used to another baby in the house.” David replied, rolling his eyes at the way his sister phrased the question. “How’s wedding planning?” Their wedding was in a few months. 

“Good, I finally picked out my dress and venue. It’s this little mansion in upstate New York, it’s so cute.” Alexis minced. 

“And expensive.” Ted coughed, smiling at Alexis. 

“So your wedding is six hours away? How are we going to find child-care?” David worried. 

“You have such a long time to worry about that, David!” Alexis exclaimed. 

“Are you and Patrick going to the bachelor party?” Ted asked. “Going to a Raptors game? Basketball?” 

David made a face. “I don’t think so. Patrick will probably be all over that, but no, that’s not for me. Since I am Alexis’s maid of honor, I will be participating in her spa day.” 

Ted laughed. “Fair enough.” 

He went back home to see Beth coloring at the kitchen table. 

“Hey, bug,” He kissed her head, sitting down next to her. “Where’s Poppy?” 

“With Evie, she was crying the whole time you were gone.” She yawned. He knew that since Evie was here, it was affecting Beth’s sleep. 

“I’m sorry. I’m gonna put one of those frozen lasagna’s Nana made for us in the oven and then we can have a lowkey night, okay?” David promised. 

“Okay, Daddy.” Beth agreed. 

“I’ll be back,” He got up and went into the nursery. 

Walking in, David saw his husband asleep in the rocking chair with Evie on his stomach, who seemed to be asleep as well. They both were so peaceful and calm. Evie definitely was a screamer, wanting to only be awake, much like her sister. But the parents didn’t care that much, knowing how wanted she was. Patrick was always worried about whether he was doing everything right, wanting to be the perfect father. 

He took a quick picture of the adorable moment before picking Evie up and setting her in her crib, hoping she would stay asleep. 

“Patrick,” David tapped him on the shoulder. 

“No, let me sleep,” Patrick complained. 

“Come on, we have another child we need to take care of.” David pulled him out of the chair. They both started looking at Evie through the crib bars, protectively watching over her. 

“When we first moved here, and Beth was still young, I would spend hours just watching over her like this.” David smiled, getting nostalgic. 

“Really?” Patrick yawned.

“Yeah, she was really all I had. I wasn’t a great dad back then, I would always mess up.” David laughed. “Hell, I still feel the same way back then now.” 

“You’ve done this before,” Patrick argued. 

“Sure, but it doesn’t get easier. Now that we have two kids, I feel like it’s a lot harder.” David shrugged. “How many times have we caught Beth trying to eat a marker or a crayon?” 

Patrick laughed. “Too many. Evie is going to be okay.” 

“Okay is a stretch with our family.” David chuckled. “Fine is more like it.” 

“I can settle with that.” Patrick smiled as they walked into the hallway, not wanting to wake Evie up.

“Forgot to tell you, someone came into work at the store,” David added. 

“Really?” Patrick raised his eyebrows. 

“Her name is Marley Davis. Off the bat, I didn’t like her. Very granola, edgy aesthetic. Yellow hair, ripped jeans, Birkenstocks, crop top, nose ring, tattoos.” David grimaced. 

“Are you really judging her appearance, David?” Patrick asked, trying not to smile. 

“There’s more! She graduated from high school, her parents made her get a job kind of situation. She’s never had a job before besides babysitting, hasn’t even been into the Apothecary before. Literally only came in because no one else was hiring.” 

“What a tragedy.” Patrick shook his head sarcastically. “Unbelievable.” 

“She didn’t even give me a resume, only a post-it note!” David showed it to him. “I know no one else has come by-”

“We should hire her.” Patrick interrupted, looked at the post-it. “She obviously needs a job.” 

“But what if she’s a bad influence on the girls?” David asked, wanting to find a pointless reason.

“You can say that even Alexis is a bad influence on them. They'll be okay.” Patrick assured him. 

“Fair point.” David snickered. “This can be good for us! We can bring more youths into the store.” He tried to stay positive. 

“You sure you want that?” Patrick joked. “We saw how you were when those teens were stealing from us.” 

David rolled his eyes. “Whatever, we should meet with her soon if we’re going to hire her.” 

“I’ll call her in the morning, tell Marley’s she hired and to come in for training the next day.” Patrick nodded, making a mental note. 

“Ted invited us to his bachelor party. To see basketball.” David complained. 

“That sounds like fun,” Patrick agreed. 

“That sounds like hell,” David corrected. “Since Alexis is doing a spa day, I will be doing that instead.” 

“You are the maid of honor,” Patrick commented. “Still confused why Ted picked me to be one of his groomsmen, but I’m not complaining.”

“Me too.” David smiled. 

Patrick leaned into David out of exhaustion. “We need to find a daycare for Evie.”

“I know.” David kissed his head. 

“We should’ve done that before,” Patrick whined. 

“Well, obviously we were a little busy.” David chuckled, referencing their previous situation. 

“How nice of you,” Patrick said, jokingly. 

“Can we eat dinner now?” Beth called up to them, not bothering to be quiet. 

“This two kids thing is a piece of cake,” Patrick told his husband. 

“You’re so lying, but that’s why I love it.” David walked by him and started going downstairs. 

“Let’s go for three.” Patrick laughed. 

“Remind me in two years,” David replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments always appreciated!


	12. Reconnecting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marcy comes to visit while Stevie and Marley tell David that he and Patrick need to reconnect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. This chapter is a little all over the place, I'm sorry about that. College has been going okay for the most part, just trying to manage my time better.

It was two months later, and the Brewer’s were staying at the Brewer-Rose household for a few days. Marcy couldn’t possibly wait any longer to meet her new grand-daughter. 

“This is a good idea that my mom and dad are coming, right?” Patrick asked David, holding Evie. 

“It’s been three months, so I think yes.” David agreed, stroking her hair down. Both sides have been so busy that they couldn't find a time for Marcy and Clint to come down. 

“But it’ll be a lot to host them and take care of the kids, right?” Patrick argued. 

“Are you saying you don’t want your own parents to stay with us?” David stood up straight. 

“No, my parents are being weird that’s all. Something’s up.” Patrick shook his head, bouncing up and down to keep Evie calm. “Like, my dad is always going on trips, leaving my mom alone in the house. I worry about her.” 

“Aww, you’re a good son,” David rubbed his back. “I’m sure it’s nothing. They’re going to be here soon and we have to find our other daughter.” 

They walked out of the nursery and downstairs to see their daughter coloring at the kitchen table. 

“Thank god.” David said when he saw her. 

“Nana will be here soon so let’s put your art supplies away for now.” Patrick told Beth. She nodded and went to put them away in her room.

“You sure Marley is okay watching the store on her own today?” David asked Patrick. 

“I think so,” Patrick nodded. “She has our numbers if she’s stressed.” 

“What if she forgets to restock the product?” David asked, worried. 

“She won’t, do you not trust her?” Patrick questioned. 

David made a face. “It’s not like I don’t trust her, it’s that-,” 

“You don’t like her,” Patrick joked. 

“I’m not fond of her,” David corrected. 

Patrick scoffed. “She’s been working for two months at the store, it’s too late to fire her.” 

“I beg to differ,” David grimaced. 

“We can talk about this later, okay?” Patrick said. “My parents will be here any moment.” 

Only seconds after their conversation, did they hear the doorbell ring. 

“We’ll be fine,” David kissed his husband. 

Beth ran over to the door, her fathers following her. Patrick opened the door to only see his mom on the doorstep, holding her purse and duffle bag.

“Hey, Mom,” Patrick welcomed, hugging her, trying not to let the confusion on his face show. Marcy dropped her bags at her feet. 

“Oh, how I’ve missed you and your little family.” Marcy exclaimed. 

“Nana!” Beth made her presence known, by hugging Marcy’s legs. 

“Oh, Beth, I think you’ve gotten bigger.” Marcy commented, bringing her granddaughter in. She released the hug, going over to David. “How have you been?” 

“Great, can’t complain.” David smiled. “Well, here she is.” He showed Marcy her new granddaughter.

“I still can’t believe you named her after me.” Marcy exclaimed in shock. 

“Of course, we did. We had to.” Patrick beamed as they walked into the living room. 

Marcy sat on the couch. “Let me hold her.” David passed her into Marcy’s arms. “Oh, well she is the most precious thing I’ve ever seen.” 

“Looks like she’s getting your red hair.” Patrick pointed out. 

“Well, look at that,” Marcy sniffled. Evie was starting to get red tufts of hair, which both Patrick and David thought were adorable. 

“Nana, where’s Gramps?” Beth asked, sitting next to her. 

Marcy looked down at her. “Well, you see, he really wanted to come. But he had a business trip that he just could not miss.” 

“Oh,” Beth nodded, looking at her parents for guidance. They smiled at her, pretending everything was normal. 

They stayed there for a while, catching up about everything. Patrick could see his mom hesitating on some spots, almost forgetting to bring up his dad. He didn’t know what was happening, but he had to figure it out. 

Later that day, Patrick went into the guest room where Marcy was unpacking. “Mom, we have to talk.” He closed the door behind him. “Evie is sleeping and David and Beth went to take Red out, we have time.” 

“Talk about what?” She questioned. 

“Don’t be like that.” He shook his head, sighing. “Mom, where’s Dad?” 

Marcy sat down on the bed. “Patrick, we’re getting a divorce.” 

“What?”

“We’ve been having problems for a while.” Marcy confessed. “We decided that enough was enough.” 

“Why?” He asked. “Everything seemed fine.”

“You remember Karen?” Marcy asked as Patrick sat next to her. 

Karen was Marcy’s best-friend and had been for awhile. She has a close relationship with the family. It clicked in Patrick’s brain. “Wait-no!” 

“It was happening for a while, apparently.” Marcy said, clearly upset.

“I’m sorry, Mom.” Patrick said, angry. “What’s happening to the house?” 

“I’m moved out. I’m actually trying to find somewhere.” Marcy tried to stay positive. “Hopefully somewhere near here.” 

Patrick came up with an idea. “I’ll have to ask David, but why don’t you stay with us until you find somewhere?” 

“Oh, that’s too much of a bother.” Marcy refused. 

“You would actually be helping us, you can help take care of the girls during the day when we’re at work.” Patrick smiled. 

“You sure?” Marcy asked. Patrick nodded as she hugged her. 

Patrick decided to tell David when everyone else went to bed and they were still mulling around the kitchen. David knew something was up, he was avoiding eye-contact the whole day. 

“What’s going on?” David asked, putting a cup away in the cupboard. “Tell me.”

“My dad had an affair.” Patrick blurted. “My parents are getting a divorce.”

David raised his eyebrows. “That bastard.” He grimaced. “Sorry, still your dad. I’m sorry.” 

“He deserves it.” Patrick shook his head, walking up to David. “That’s why he was going away so much. I should’ve known.” 

“There was no way of knowing.” David assured him. 

“Well, she’s trying to find a place to live….and while she finds somewhere..I might’ve told her,” Patrick mumbled. 

“Marcy is living with us, isn’t she?” David asked, wrapping his arms around Patrick’s neck. 

“Yeah,” Patrick replied. “I told her I would ask you first,” 

David shook it off. “It’s fine. It’ll just be an adjustment for us.” 

“You sure you’re okay with this?” Patrick asked. “It’s just until she finds somewhere.”

“I think so,” David nodded. “We’ll be fine.” 

\----

It was a month later and Marcy has adjusted to living to the Brewer-Rose household well. Every morning she would wake up and make the whole family breakfast before they headed off to work or school. She even helped around the house and baby-sat. 

“Patrick?” David called out for his husband, while walking in the store. 

“He’s not here, he ran out to get some coffee.” Marley commented, talking to Stevie. 

“And why are you here?” David asked his best friend.

“I am a customer.” Stevie commented, snarkily. 

“We were also talking about how you and Patrick seem...off,” Marley noticed. 

“Please explain,” David walked behind the counter to put his bag down. 

“Well, since Marcy is here, you would think you two would have more alone time.” Stevie explained. 

“What are you insinuating?” David sneered. 

“You’ve both been working non-stop since Mrs. Brewer is there. You two are stressed out all the time. Maybe go for a date, reconnect.” Marley told him. She noticed his mad eyebrows. “Have I told you how lucky I am to get this job?”

“I like her,” Stevie smiled. 

“First off, employees don’t get into their bosses’ personal lives. Secondly, not your business. Third, Patrick and I are doing very well.” David scoffed. 

Marley was right, they were a little distant from each other. They weren't arguing or being rude to each other, but they weren't finding time to be by themselves. From Evie still waking up at night, and Beth needing help with homework after school, and Marcy there, there was barely any time to be alone. They both knew it, but didn't dare to bring it up to each other. 

“If you’re doing so well, you would tell us how living with Marcy is?” Stevie offered. 

David huffed. “It was going great in the beginning. She was so helpful. But now she’s driving us up a wall.” 

“There we go,” Marley laughed. 

“She’s always there,” David sighed. “But she is going through a divorce and a move, so it’s fine. I don’t mind that much.” 

“I gotta go to work, but I’ll see ya.” Stevie began to leave, turning around. “David, have sex with your husband.” 

Marley burst into laughter, quickly shutting up when David looked at her. “I’ll go restock that body milk.” 

Patrick walked back in a few minutes later. “Hey, how was Mom this morning?” He kissed David hello. 

“Good, she made breakfast, dropped Evie at daycare, and took Beth to kindergarten.” David pretended to smile. He paused. “I was thinking, maybe we can go on a trip?”

Patrick set his coffee down. “Why?” 

“We never got a honeymoon, we’ve never really been on a trip together. Besides New York that one time, but Beth got lost in the Disney store at Times Square so I would like to forget that.” 

“Yeah,” Patrick nodded, agreeing. “We have childcare, Marley can run the store for a few days.” 

“I can what?” Marley exclaimed, overhearing the conversation. 

“Just hypothetical, Marley.” Patrick smiled as she walked over to them. 

“David, I meant a romantic night out, not a trip.” Marley complained, realizing she spilled the beans. 

“So you told Marley about this?” Patrick asked, amused. 

“And Stevie.” David whispered. “They came up with the idea.” 

“Did they?” Patrick looked over to Marley who shrugged in response. 

“They think we’re stressed out and “distant”. Even though we’re married.” David told his husband. “Marley told us we needed to reconnect.” 

“Did you, Marley?” Patrick crossed his arms. 

“I just saw you two recently get stressed about Mrs. Brewer here, and your daughters and everything. I swear it was just an observation.” Marley looked down, trying to avoid conflict. “Please don’t fire me!” 

Patrick laughed. “Marley, you’re fine. Why don’t you go take a walk and calm down?” 

Marley nodded, walking away. “That’s a good idea.” 

“So you’ve been having problems with your mom here?” David asked, smirking. 

Patrick threw his hands up. “I feel bad. It’s my mom. But she’s doing everything for us.” He shrugged. “You’re feeling the same?” 

David wrapped his arms around Patrick. “Yes, I am. We need to have an escape. Even if it’s to the god damn motel of all places.” 

Patrick smiled. “Let’s go on a vacation.” He kissed David. 

\-----

“Okay, bug. We’re gonna be late for our flight. Please get out of the car.” David exclaimed sternly while Patrick was packing the car. Beth was sitting in the passenger seat, refusing to move. She wanted so badly to go with them.

David and Patrick quickly planned a trip to New York to get away for a few days by themselves. No kids, just peace and quiet. They were going to have dinner with Alexis and Ted, but other than that, they were all alone.

“You and Nana are going to have so much fun.” Patrick told her. 

“Come on, Beth.” Marcy called her. “Your dads gotta go now.”

Beth stomped out of the car. “Bye.” She mumbled. 

Her dads knelt to her level. “We won’t be gone long.” Patrick kissed her forehead. 

“Only two nights.” David did the same. 

“Love you.” Beth hugged them both. 

“We love you so much.” David told her. 

“We’ll call everyday.” Patrick promised, going over to his mom who was carrying Evie on her hip. “Thank you again, Mom.” 

“Anytime, son.” Marcy hugged him and David. 

They both said goodbye to Evie and to Beth once more then they were finally ready to leave. “This is healthy, right?” David asked as Patrick was pulling out of the driveway. “For us and the girls?”

Patrick nodded. “Yes.” 

“Do you think Evie will forget us?” David worried. “She’s just a baby.”

Patrick grabbed his hand. “Of course not.” 

“Marley-,” David began. 

“Will be fine. And Stevie said she would help out if she needed to.” Patrick interrupted.   
“Good, that’s good.” David mumbled to himself. “How are you not worrying?”

“I know they’ll be okay. It’s only a few days.” Patrick said. “But I’d be lying if I wasn’t nervous. We haven’t left them like this before. We got this.”

“Yeah, we do.” David smiled at him. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments always appreciated!


	13. Trip to NYC

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patrick and David take a trip to NYC and they find out some things about each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait! Hope it's worth it. 
> 
> And if you saw this posted on the previous story before this one.........no you didn't :)  
> Let's pretend that didn't happen.

“So I told Ted that we had to do gold and white for our wedding colors,” Alexis explained to Patrick and David at dinner. They met Alexis and Ted at an Italian restaurant in the middle of Manhattan on their second night in New York.

“Mhm,” David nodded, barely paying attention to the conversation.

“You like it right, babe?” She asked Ted.

“Of course, I like anything you like,” Ted replied, kissing her on the cheek, making David want to gag from it all. Patrick was concealing his smile. “How are the girls?” He asked, realizing they were only talking about the wedding for the last hour.

“Oh, good!” Patrick answered. “Beth is getting used to kindergarten and Evie is only waking up once in the night, so that’s good.”

“Beth is really excited about the wedding,” David added.

“We face-timed Beth yesterday when you guys were on the plane.” Alexis smiled. “Ugh, I missed her.”

“She misses you too.” David smiled.

They talked for the rest of the dinner about Alexis’s job at a PR company that she was doing shockingly well at and Ted’s new vet practice that was already booming with patients.

After dinner, Patrick and David decided to walk around the city.

“Is it different from when you lived here?” Patrick asked him.

David raised his eyebrows. “Nothing and everything has changed. It’s odd to be back. I can’t believe we almost moved here. Imagine the four of us and Alexis living in that small apartment.”

“Thank god we didn’t.” Patrick chuckled. “Evie wouldn’t even be born if we moved here, wow. That’s weird to think about.”

“Yeah,” David hummed. “Definitely a troublemaker, I can already tell...What were you like growing up?”

Patrick laughed. “I was very creative. I liked to draw, sing, write, play the piano. But I was in the little league and on the hockey team. My parents signed me up for everything.”

“I bet you were great at all of it.” David smiled.

Patrick shook his head, and words started pouring out. Ones he didn't know he needed to say. “High school came around and I was going through it. One of my cousins died in a car accident, he was the same age as me. His name was Oliver.” David held Patrick’s hand a little tighter. “I was depressed. A lot of survivor's guilt. My dad didn’t believe in therapy so it was hard to have a handle on it all. My heart problems were going on a lot then. I missed a lot of school days from that and for mental health problems. I almost had to repeat junior year. But senior year I met Rachel. I thought that the pain would go away just because I had a girlfriend. It didn’t do much.”

David stopped walking and hugged his husband. “You need to tell me about these things. This has happened before,” He remembered how Patrick didn't tell him about Rachel or told his parents he was gay.

“I know,” Patrick choked. “It’s just hard.....I didn't know all of that would come out.”

“Pat, I think we should get you a therapist,” David whispered. "You need to talk this out to someone."

“But I’m okay now,” Patrick tried to argue.

“Please don’t argue with me,” David whispered, releasing the hug. “I know you’ve been losing a lot of sleep. I see you leave the bed in the middle of the night to stress over spreadsheets or sit outside the girls rooms to make sure they’re okay. I know you're still holding all of this inside you. Please, can you just do this for me?”

‘Yeah,” Patrick nodded, feeling guilty. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, okay? It’s not your fault.” David hugged him again. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll get one myself. We both know I handle my stress in a lot of not-healthy ways.”

Patrick couldn’t help but laugh. “That is true. And don't forget that I've seen you sit outside of their rooms too.”

“I love you so much,” David told him.

“I love you too,” Patrick replied, kissing him. “So, what were you like growing up?”

David grimaced. “Well, a bit of a loner. I was scared of everything growing up. Wasn’t that great at making friends, I wasn’t introverted in any way, I just didn’t want to make any.” Patrick smiled at that. “I eventually made some not so great friends who I kept through high school. Maybe went to too many raves and parties. Did some not so great things that I regret now.” David bit his lip, thinking about it all.

“It’s in the past, it’s okay,” Patrick assured him.

“Yeah, I know,” David agreed. “We definitely were in different crowds.”

“But hey, we found each other in the end,” Patrick said.

“Oh god, that’s too sappy.” David shook his head as they continued to walk. “Where do you wanna go?”

“I say go back to the hotel room, drink the fancy champagne your parents got us, and rent Notting Hill.”

“You know me so well,” David said as they joined hands again.

Hours later, Patrick and David laid on their bed talking about the life they made together. David couldn’t help but ask him a question.

“Do you want more kids?” David asked, laying on his husband’s stomach. He was nervous to hear his answer.

“Yeah, I do,” Patrick answered honestly. “I want to have more kids. Which is crazy to think about because we’re so busy, but I do.”

“Oh,” David replied, sitting up. “You sure? The last one gave you a heart attack.”

Patrick gave him a look that was a mix of amusement and annoyance. “David, I’m okay now. Do I have some setbacks? Sure, of course. But I feel better than I have in a while.”

He shrugged back, jokingly. “Okay, if you say so.”

“Do you want more kids?” Patrick asked.

“I don’t know.” David shook his head, unsure. “That’s something I should know though.’

“It’s okay. We don’t have to figure this out now.” Patrick eased him.

“Yeah, right.” David reminded himself. “Why do you want more?”

“I don’t want you to say yes just to make me feel better.” Patrick refused.

“No, just tell me why,” David said.

“Beth and Evie are the best things that have happened to me. I never thought I would be a dad. I never thought that would be a thing for me.” Patrick answered, holding David’s hand. “I love our kids so much. I love being a dad. We’re already great at it.”

“True. We know Beth wouldn’t care.” David made a point. They always catch Beth trying to read books to Evie during naptime, which warmed their hearts (even though Beth couldn’t really read yet). “I think she would love it. But I need to think about it. Like, do we even have money for this?”

“We always make it work,” Patrick exclaimed. “Think as long as you need to.”

David laid back down, turning the lamp off beside him. “Thank you,” He kissed Patrick on the cheek.

“I love you,”

“I love you too,”

-

The next day, they packed up all their things and went back to Schitt’s Creek. They enjoyed being in the city, but they missed their smalltown.

“We’re home!” Patrick called out as they stepped into their doorway. Beth ran up to her dads, hugging them as Marcy followed behind with Evie in her arms.

“Hey, bug,” David said.

“How was the trip?” Marcy asked.

“It was great, thank you, Mom.” Patrick smiled.

“They were great, no complaints,” Marcy replied.

“Nana and I counted the school buses when we went to school!” Beth said.

Evie began to cry. “I got her, she probably needs to sleep.” David put down his bags and scooped up his youngest daughter. “Can you finish getting the bags?” He asked his husband.

“Yeah,” He nodded, glad to be home.

“Okay, bee. I think it’s naptime.” David walked upstairs. She got her nickname from a stuffed bee that Alexis got her when she was born and it stuck.

David walked into her nursery and sat down on the rocker setting her on his lap. He tried to calm her down by rocking back and forth but it wasn’t doing much.

“Bee, come on you gotta sleep.” He complained. Evie quieted down when she heard his voice. “How about I tell you a story?” Her staying quiet meant a yes for him so he continued to talk. “So years ago, way before you were born, your big sister and I were going to get some papers for the store I was going to open. It’s called Rose Apothecary, you’ve been there before. There we met your dad, Patrick. He decided to invest in my business. A little later it was my birthday and he took me out and we kissed.” David smiled at the memory, seeing that Evie already fell asleep. “We started dating then-,”

“I think she’s bored of your story,” Patrick said walking in, picking Evie up and putting her in the crib. “You didn’t even get to finish.”

“Oh, we have their whole lives to tell them our story,” David laughed.

“You're a good dad.” Patrick grinned, holding his hand, leading him to the bedroom.

“You can’t do that,” David shook his head, still smiling. He knew what he was doing

“I’m being honest though.” Patrick didn’t care.

“Patrick, I do want more kids with you. I’m just scared of everything. You don’t get better with every kid, it’s still a struggle every time. I still don’t know what I’m doing most days. But then I see Beth or Evie smiling or laughing and it’s worth it. I know we can do it.” David rambled.

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to just say it because I want it.” Patrick asked.

“I’m one hundred percent sure,” David nodded. They embraced, kissing. David broke it off for a second. “But like only one more, I don’t know if I can emotionally handle more than three kids.”

Patrick nodded. “Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments always appreciated!


	14. Alexis and Ted's Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexis and Ted finally have their wedding and something shocking comes out of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Had a little writer's block with this one but I'm satisfied with how it went in the end. I know Marcy's "departure" seems abrupt. I was gonna do a whole chapter on it but I knew I had to do the wedding before it so I just brought it up in here. Sorry! Next chapter we will see more of how Marley blends into the Brewer-Rose's family.

It finally came time for Alexis and Ted’s wedding. It was happening on a mansion in Upstate New York, with a white and gold color scheme. Alexis was having David walk her down the aisle and be her “man of honor” while Twyla and Stevie were going to be her bridesmaids. Ted had one of his cousins be his best man and Patrick and another cousin were groomsmen. Beth was a flower girl as well. 

“Okay, you ready? You wanna run away?” David asked her as Twyla was getting her ready. “We still have time.” He was wearing a black suit with a gold tie, even though he thought it was a little tacky. 

“David! No!” Alexis exclaimed. 

“Well, you have this very pale expression on your face,” David pointed out. 

“I’m just nervous. Okay?” Alexis almost yelled.

“Don’t be pissy,” David yelled back. 

“At least I don’t have eye bags.” Alexis grimaced. 

“I’ll have you know that Evie is teething now and screaming at all times. So I don’t know what sleep is.” David argued back. 

“David, I’m gonna need you to calm down. You’re kind of bringing the vibe down.” Alexis grimaced. “What happened to Marcy? Wasn’t she helping you guys?” 

“Yeah, but she found a house in Elmdale to live in,” David exclaimed. “She’s not always available.” David humphed and walked over to Beth and Stevie. 

“Beth, I’m gonna need you to stop squirming,” Stevie ordered as she was trying to do the girl’s hair. 

“These tights are itchy,” Beth exclaimed. She was wearing a white dress with a gold sash and flats to match while Stevie was wearing the same suit she wore to David and Patrick’s wedding.

“Can you make it a few hours wearing them?” David asked her, kneeling to her level.

Beth shook her head. “No.” 

“You can take them off, but don’t tell Aunt Alexis though, okay?” He whispered the last part to her. She nodded, immediately taking them off. “Poppy is coming for you soon, okay?” He needed to focus on getting Alexis ready. 

A knock came on the door as Patrick walked in. “Poppy!” Beth yelled running into his arms like he was gone for days rather than a couple of hours. 

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” Alexis muttered quickly. 

David waved Patrick to go outside, closing the door behind him. “She’s been a little weird today. How’s Ted?” 

“The same, probably wedding jitters.” Patrick shrugged. 

“Okay, I’m gonna try to fix this,” David motioned to the door. “I like the suit.” 

Patrick was wearing the same thing David was wearing. “Is the gold tie a little much?” 

David nodded. “Just a little.”

With a kiss goodbye, Beth and Patrick started walking around the venue. “Are you ready?” He asked his daughter. 

“Yeah, I already did it before!” Beth reminded him, rolling her eyes. 

Patrick put his hands up in fake surrender. “Just making sure.”

“Poppy, why did you marry Daddy?” She asked.

“Asking the hard questions, are we?” Patrick joked. “Well, why do you think?” 

“Do you like the same things? You both like mozzarella sticks!” Beth exclaimed. 

Patrick laughed. “Something like that. We both loved each other and wanted to be together for the rest of our life. We wanted to be a family.” 

“Cool.” Beth nodded, skipping and swinging her flower basket. Patrick couldn’t help but laugh at her response. 

They turned a corner and saw Moira Rose fixing some flowers. “Look at you two! Dashing in your outfits!” Moira exclaimed while Beth hugged her tightly. 

“Hi, Grammy,” Beth looked up at her. 

“How are your duties as a big sister?” She asked. 

“Evie’s loud,” Beth complained. 

“We’ve all been losing a bit of sleep recently,” Patrick explained. “Evie wants to stay up all hours of the day.” 

Beth spoke before Moira could reply. “Where’s Grampy?” 

“Let’s go find him.” Moira took her hand. “Pat, if you want to go back with all the groomsmen, I got her.” 

Patrick nodded. “Okay, see you soon, Beth.” 

“Bye Poppy!” She waved. 

They found Johnny talking to a caterer, trying to taste test the bruschetta. “Grampy, stop trying to eat the food! That’s for later.” Beth reminded him. 

“Oh, excuse me!” Johnny joked, going up to them. 

They all tried to kill time before the wedding by walking around and telling stories. 

Meanwhile, when Patrick got back to the bridal suite, Stevie was already talking to David in the hallway. They both had concerned faces on. 

“Where’s Beth?” David asked. 

“With your parents, she’s fine,” Patrick answered. “What’s happening?” 

“Stevie knows.” David grimaced. 

“About?” Patrick got confused. 

Stevie shifted on her feet. “How you want a third kid. I don’t think it’s a good idea.” 

Patrick raised his eyebrows. “Didn’t know you had a say in this. We aren’t even thinking about doing this all now. We’re going to wait a year when Evie is a little older.” 

Stevie scoffed. “I think I do, it's my body.” They both tried to interrupt her but she kept talking. “Do you know how miserable I was? 20 hours in labor? I’m not doing that again. If I wanted to, I probably couldn’t. I’m going to be travelling a lot more soon. I won’t be around that much.” 

David tried his best not to smile that much. “Stevie, I appreciate the concern. We weren’t going to ask you.” 

“We’re thinking about adopting.” Patrick smiled. 

“Oh,” Stevie coughed, suddenly becoming embarrassed. 

“You good?” David questioned. 

“Yeah, I’m happy for you both,” Stevie smiled. “You sure?”

“Yeah, we are,” Patrick replied. 

“Well, that’s great.” Stevie nodded. 

-

It was finally time for the wedding. All the bridesmaids and groomsmen walked down the aisle. Next was Beth who was now a pro at being a flower girl and didn’t have any stage fright at all. Once she got to the end of the aisle, she sat in between her grandparents just like she did during her dads’ wedding. After she was David and Alexis.

Alexis smiled at everyone but was really only watching Ted who couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. They both were misty-eyed. There were finally getting married. 

Once Alexis got to the end of the aisle, she handed David her bouquet of flowers as he stood next to Stevie. He was trying his best to not cry but it proved to be very difficult. 

Beth was getting very antsy as she was only five and didn’t have that big of an attention span. She was glad when it was time for the vows. 

“Ted, I’ve never been so happy in my life than right now at this moment. After you went to the Galapagos, I thought I would never see you again. But then you showed up to my apartment doorstep months later. I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you. Thank you for making me so lucky,” Alexis said. It was simple, very unlike Alexis, but it was sweet. 

“Alexis,” Ted began, taking her hands. “I’m so glad I came to New York. I couldn’t bear to live without you. I already love how our life is there and I can’t wait to see it continue throughout the years. I love you more than the moon misses the sun.” David tried not to gag at the last part but he admired it. 

“You may now kiss the bride.” The minister recited. 

Ted leaned in, kissing Alexis. Everyone around them cheered and clapped.

-

Beth waited very impatiently as it was picture time for the wedding parties. She just wanted the spaghetti that Ted told her was being served especially for her since it was her favorite food. 

Beth walked over to her dads as they were talking to Ted’s sisters. She stood in front of them until she was noticed. A few minutes passed and she gave up. “Hello?” 

“Bethany, let’s not interrupt a conversation, alright?” David exclaimed. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m bored and hungry,” She complained. Ted’s sisters laughed as they excused themselves. 

Patrick knelt down to her level. “Dinner is soon, I promise. How about you ask Aunt Stevie if she can explore with you while we finish pictures?” Stevie was busy drinking her champagne. 

Beth nodded. “Okay.” 

As Beth walked away, Patrick looked over at David tiredly. “ _I’m_ bored and hungry.” 

David tried to look sympathetic but he was feeling the same way. “Me too, babe. How many poses can they do?” 

Patrick smiled at that as they took another “candid” picture. “We probably shouldn’t drink that much tonight, since we have to drive home.”

David immediately disagreed. “My dad is going to drive all of us home. We deserve this.” 

“Your right, we do.” Patrick agreed. “What about our daughters?” 

“What about them?” David asked, joking. “Beth will go home with my mom who will relieve the babysitter and watch them until we get back at the Airbnb.” 

“You thought this out, I’m impressed,” Patrick exclaimed. 

“Of course I did, who knows when we’ll get another night like this?” David replied.

He was right, most of their nights were filled with bedtime stories and many wake-ups throughout the night since Evie was teething. Then Beth would always wake-up and complain. Which involved someone staying with her until she fell asleep again (which could take up to two hours sometimes). It was a whole process every night. 

Finally, it came time to the reception. While everyone was eating their dinner, Ted and Alexis stood up. 

“Hello, everyone?” Alexis tapped a knife to her water glass. 

“Alexis and I have some news to share with everyone.” Ted held Alexis’s other hand, both of them nervously smiling. 

“We’re pregnant!” She blurted out. Patrick and David gawked at each other. 

“What?!” Beth yelled a little too loud. 

“I’m four months along, it’s a boy.” She finished, kissing Ted. 

All the guests cheered. “How is she four months? She doesn’t even have a bump. Not fair.” 

Patrick patted her shoulder while David was still shocked. “How did I not know?”

“No one knew, it’s okay,” Patrick assured him, beginning to smile. “We’re gonna be uncles.” 

That did delight David a little bit. He looked at Beth who couldn’t stop smiling. “Are you excited to have a little cousin, bug?” 

Beth hugged her dads. “Yeah, I am. I’m happy.” 

-

After most of the guests left, Alexis walked over to David who was more or less a little tipsy. “Having fun?” She asked while he grabbed another glass of champagne. 

David nodded. “Yeah, sucks you can’t drink at your own wedding.” 

Alexis shrugged. “I think I’ll be okay.” She looked over at Ted who was drunk and somewhat making a fool of himself. She laughed to herself. 

“You’re going to be spending the rest of your life with him, a sloppy drunk,” David smiled. 

“You’re going to be spending the rest of your life with him,” Alexis pointed to Patrick, who was getting a little loose himself. Patrick never drank that much in general so David knew how much he needed to let go for one night. He was busy dancing to Whitney Houston on the dancefloor while Stevie was full-on laughing at him. 

“Yeah, I am,” David beamed. “I can’t believe I didn’t know.” 

“Aww, it’s okay.” Alexis booped him on the nose. “We found out a little late. But everything seems to be going great.” 

“I’m happy for you, Alexis.” David hugged her. 

“You too, David,” Alexis replied. 

“I can’t believe I’m gonna be an uncle.” David geeked. “What are we thinking about David as a name?”

Alexis rolled her eyes. “I’ll consider it.” 

Later in the night, David and Patrick walked into their Airbnb. “You know, I’m disappointed, I didn’t even get that drunk.” 

“Me neither,” Patrick shook his head, grabbing a glass of water. “Stevie talked to me at the reception.” 

“Yeah?” David questioned. 

“She told me that if there was any way she could help us with the adoption process to not hesitate to ask.” Patrick told him. 

“That was nice of her,” David took a drink of the water. “My sister is gonna be a mom.” He shook his head. “Still can’t wrap my mind around it.” 

“Do you think she’ll be a good mom?” Patrick asked. 

“I mean, I was a terrible dad at first. But I got the hang of it.” David said, thinking. “I think it will be the same for her. She’s got Ted. They got eachother to hold onto.” 

Patrick sighed. “I wish I was there when Beth was a baby.” 

David nodded. “I know, me too.” They hugged, kissing each other. 

“We’re gonna be uncles,” Patrick reminded him, laughing. 

“We’re gonna be uncles,” David agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos always appreciated!


	15. Marley and Beth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marley picks Beth up from kindergarten and some secrets are exposed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not how I planned this chapter to flow in the beginning, but I'm quite proud of what it came to be. Marley is really becoming her own person and I hope you guys like her and all her struggles. 
> 
> Also, I completely feel for Beth in this chapter. I was always quiet when I was younger and very much introverted. 
> 
> One last thing, I changed Stevie's (Now Evie's) name from the Brewer-Rose #2 chapter. I just think it flows a little better and makes a little more sense. I hope you guys understand.  
> Hope you guys enjoy the new chapter!

Marley had adjusted well to working at the Apothecary. She worked four-five days a week but never minded the busy schedule. She always looked forward to her workdays. Marley could honestly say that she liked her job. 

It was a Friday afternoon and it was one of her days off. She usually always worked Fridays as that was one of their busiest days, but didn’t think that much about it. She wasn’t shocked when Patrick called her, thinking he was gonna call her into work. 

“Hey, Marley, are you busy?” He asked, stressed. 

“Um, no, not really,” Marley replied, as she was laying in her bed. 

“Can you do me a big favor?” Patrick asked. 

“Uh, sure.” 

“The store is really packed, do you think you can pick Beth up from school? I’m already late.” He exclaimed. 

“What about David?” 

“Doing a shipment order.” 

“Stevie?”

“Out of town.”

“Ms. Brewer?”

“My mom lives in Elmdale, Marley. That’s not that helpful here.” Patrick sighed. “Please?” 

“Yeah, sure.” Marley finally agreed, standing up and grabbing her purse. 

“Thanks, also today’s ice cream day. We always get ice cream on Fridays.” Patrick complained. 

“I can get her ice cream,” Marley laughed remaining calm. 

“She’s not that comfortable with new people, she’s a little quiet. I know you’re not that new anymore, but still. I think once you bring up the ice cream, she’ll be just fine.” Patrick assured her. “Thank you, Marley. Her teacher’s name is Mrs. Johnson.”

“No problem, boss,” Marley grinned, hanging up her phone.

She walked all the way to the elementary school and Mrs. Johnson’s class. Beth was the last one there, sitting at her desk, patiently waiting. 

“Hey, sorry. I’m Marley, I’m here to pick Bethany Brewer-Rose up?” 

“Hi, Marley,” Beth whispered, waving. 

“Hey, girlie,” Marley grinned back.

“Ready to go, Beth?” Mrs. Johnson asked the young girl. 

“Yeah,” Beth nodded, grabbing her rainbow-colored backpack. “Bye, Mrs. Johnson.” She waved goodbye. 

“Bye, see you tomorrow!” She replied. 

“Where’s Poppy?” She asked once there were walking out of the school. 

“He’s at the store, it’s pretty busy right now,” Marley explained, looking at the girl’s red jumpsuit, which seemed a little too fancy to wear to kindergarten, which was contrasting her blue crocs and yellow winter jacket. “I like your outfit.” 

“On Fridays, I pick out my outfit,” Beth explained. 

Marley laughed. “You have a great fashion sense.” Beth didn’t respond, too busy kicking a rock in front of her. Marley began to walk into the cafe, Beth stopping behind her. “You coming? Your pops said we can still get ice cream.” 

“Really?” Beth asked, shocked. 

“Yeah, come on.” Marley grabbed her hand, walking in. 

They sat down at the bar, ordering their ice creams of choice. Marley got chocolate fudge and Beth got cookies and cream. 

“Do you like kindergarten?” Marley asked as they sat down in a booth. 

Beth shrugged. “I like my teacher.” 

“That’s good, what about your classmates?” 

“They’re okay,” Beth mumbled. 

“You wanna talk about it?” Marley asked. 

Beth shrugged. “I don’t know Mar,...They don’t talk to me.” 

Marley frowned. “Why’s that?” 

“I don’t think they like me,” Beth lowered her head. “I don’t have friends.”

“Have you told anyone about this? Your dads?” Marley asked, finishing her ice cream. 

Beth shook her head. “They're too busy.” 

“What do you mean?” Marley tilted her head. 

“With Evie, they don’t care about me anymore.” Beth wiped her eyes. 

Marley sighed, not knowing what to do. “I don’t think that’s true, Beth.” 

“Oh, well,” Beth shrugged.

“What do you like to do for fun?” Marley asked, changing the topic. 

Beth smiled at that, remembering a fun memory. “Sometimes my daddy, poppy, and I have movie nights. The last time was Tangled. Daddy said I was like Rapunzel in the movie. I wanna be like her when I’m older.” 

“A princess?” Marley assumed. 

Beth shook her head, laughing. “No! I wanna be an artist. She paints in the movie, Marley.” 

Marley laughed. “I must’ve forgotten.” 

“I’m learning how to read!” Beth announced, finally warming up to Marley. 

“Are you?” Marley tried to seem impressed. “Can you read any books yet?” 

“Not yet,” Beth sank in her chair. “Only a few words. Sometimes Poppy makes me read at bedtime so I get better.” 

“I’m sure you will, I did.” She smiled. “I wasn’t the best in school.” 

“But now you work at my dad’s store! That’s like the best job, Mar.” Beth exclaimed. 

Marley grinned, happy for her job. “I know, right?” She got an idea. “You wanna get some hot cocoa for your Pops?” 

Beth nodded, excited. “Yes, please. Poppy would like that.” 

The older girl smiled, walking up to Twyla with Beth following behind. “Hey Twy, can we get three hot cocoa's to go?” 

“Of course,” Twyla turned around getting them. “Babysitting today?”

“Yeah, apparently the store is slammed right now, so I picked Beth up from school.” Marley nodded, putting down a ten-dollar bill on the counter. Twyla set the hot drinks down. “Thanks, Twy.” 

“You’re welcome, Marley. Bye Beth!” Twyla waved as Marley handed one of the cups to her.

“Bye!” Beth smiled back. 

They began to walk to the Rose Apothecary next door. Beth’s eyes widened at the sheer mass of people in the store that she saw inside. Marley knelt in front of her. 

“Just stick with me, okay?” Marley told her, giving a comforting smile. She gave Beth her hand to hold onto. 

“Okay, Mar.” Beth nodded. 

They dodged through the people and went behind the counter, where Patrick was standing. 

“Hey, Beth! How was school?” He asked. 

“It was good,” Beth replied. “Can I go color?” 

“Yeah, go for it,” Patrick told her as she scurried to the back room. 

“Here you go,” Marley handed the drink to him. 

“Thank you,” Patrick smiled. “How was she? Thanks for picking her up.” 

“She was great,” Marley remembered what Beth told her earlier. “Actually, I need to tell you something later about Beth, when it’s not busy.” 

“Okay,” Patrick nodded, a little concerned. 

“Um, where do you need me?” Marley asked, about to put her bag down. 

He looked like he was going to say something, but changed his mind. “I got a text from David saying he was home, can you drop Beth off there? Tell him what’s wrong? Beth knows the way home.”

Marley nodded. “Yeah, for sure.” 

“Thank you again, Marley,” Patrick told her genuinely.

Marley smiled back, going into the back room. She saw Beth scribbling away at something at the table they had back there. “C’mon, Beth, I’m taking you home.” 

Beth quickly stuffed the paper into her backpack. “Okay.” She put her backpack on, reaching for Marley’s hand, her hot cocoa in the other. 

They began the walk to the Brewer-Rose household. Beth was a little quieter like she knew something was wrong. Marley was trying to figure out in her head how she was going to tell David. She didn’t want to lose Beth’s trust either. 

“Usually I stay with Poppy while he closes the store, is something wrong?” Beth asked. 

Marley struggled to answer. “It’s just busy right now.” 

“But shouldn’t you be working then?” Beth asked. 

“I think he has it handled,” Marley assured her. “Nothing’s wrong.” 

“Okay,” Beth nodded. 

“Which one is your house?” Marley asked as they walked down a different street. They threw away their empty cups in a nearby trash can. 

“It’s down there. It has a red door.” Beth pointed. “It’s across from a farm.” 

“Oh, that’s pretty cool,” Marley commented as Beth began to skip beside her, their arms swinging. 

“One time we visited before Evie was born. Daddy said that it smelled bad. But I liked it. I like animals.” Beth said. 

“I like animals too,” Marley said. “Back at my house, I have a cat. His name is Buster.” 

“I wanna get a cat, but Poppy says that Red won’t like it. He’s a corgi mix. And Poppy is allergic,” Beth frowned. 

“Maybe you can when you’re older,” Marley mentioned. 

“Marley?” Beth looked up at her.

“Yeah?”

“Am I your friend?” Beth asked innocently. 

Marley beamed at her. “Of course I am. Am I your friend?” 

“Yeah!” Beth exclaimed. “There’s the house!” 

Marley chuckled when she saw it. It described the Brewer-Rose family very well. It was traditional but still homey. There was a black car in the driveway, knowing it was David’s. 

They got to the front door and Beth reached up to ring the doorbell. 

“It’s unlocked!” David yelled, knowing already who it was. 

Beth didn’t hesitate to open the door and barge in. “Hey, Daddy!” She called out while she was taking her crocs off. 

“Hey, bug.” David walked over to them, leaving Evie on her playmat. “Patrick texted me you were picking Beth up, thanks for that.” 

“It wasn’t a problem. We got ice cream and hot cocoa at the cafe.” Marley said. 

“That’s a lot of sugar.” David grimaced. He turned to his older daughter. “Beth, why don’t you go hang with your sister for a second while I talk to Marley?” 

“Okay,” Beth agreed, going into the other room. 

David led her to the kitchen, sitting her down at the table. 

“Sorry to be barging in on you.’’ Marley apologized. 

“Don’t be, you’re okay.” David went to the fridge, opening it. “I would offer you something, but all we have is ketchup and a jar of baby food.” 

Marley was surprised by his niceness when he was usually snarky and sarcastic. “I’m fine.” She shook her head. “This is a change of moods.” 

“People can change.” David sat back down. “As much as this pains me to say it, but you’ve been a big asset to the store since you joined us.” 

“Thanks, that means a lot.” Marley smiled. 

“Also my husband texted me saying you were going tell me something about Beth, and I’m a little concerned about that.” David began fiddling with his gold rings. “I mean Beth has always had it hard. She was born premature, she has a heart condition, she always been painfully quiet if that was it. She has meltdowns from time to time,...” 

“That’s not entirely it, um, Beth told me that the kids in her class don’t talk to her.” Marley tried not to stumble with her words. “She said she doesn’t have friends.”

David sighed, slumping in his chair. He looked over to his daughters. He saw Beth laughing and playing with her sister. How could she not have any friends? “Wow.” 

“I asked her why she doesn’t tell you about this stuff and she said that you're both busy with Evie all the time.” Marley paused, knowing he wouldn’t be happy with what he was about to say. “She thinks you two don’t care about her anymore.” 

David gasped, upset. “That’s not true!” 

“I know,” Marley muttered. 

“She told you this?” David questioned. 

“Yeah, I asked her how school was and I think the only thing she likes is her teacher,” Marley answered. “I’m sorry, I wish I was lying.”

“It’s not your fault,” David lowered his head. “Sorry, I know you didn’t sign up for all of this when you came in for the job at the store.” He forced out a chuckle.

Marley smiled. “No, I don’t mind. I don’t have anything better to do.” 

Whether he liked it or not, Marley grew on him. “What do you do when you’re not working? I’ve realized I don’t know anything about you.” 

“I like to read, I write too. I want to be an author of some sort, but that’s kinda a pipe dream at this point.” Marley muttered. 

“What about your parents?” David asked. “What do they think?” 

Marley snorted at that. “Sorry, it’s not funny. I don’t have parents.” 

David furrowed his eyebrows. “You told me you did.” 

“I have foster parents. I should’ve clarified that.” Marley cleared her throat. “Yeah, my parents died in a car accident when I was 10. Been in the foster care system ever since. Since I’m 18, I’m technically supposed to be living on my own now, but Mike and Gayle are letting me stay with them until I have enough money. But they’re getting mad at me.” 

“Do you like it there?” He asked in all seriousness. He had no idea what was happening to her.

“It’s not the best place. But I have my own room, I never had that before I came there. My foster parents are okay, I guess.” Marley shrugged. “I came to live here when I was 16. Before I was in Elmdale. I was transferred here because my old foster parents moved to Orlando of all places.”

David nodded. “I can tell Patrick about this and we can find a way to give you a raise.” 

Marley was astonished by his generosity. “I’m okay-I mean you can tell Patrick about this, I’m an open book. But you don’t have to pay me any more than you are already.” 

“No, we’re going to get you somewhere better.” David shook his head. 

Without even realizing it, Marley was crying. “S-s-sorry.”

David reached over and hugged her. “Be honest with me because I feel like you weren’t before, do you like it there?” 

Marley shook her head. “No.”

“Then that’s all that matters. Are your foster parents home right now?” He asked. 

“No,” 

“Okay, when Patrick gets home, I’ll take you over there and we can pack up your stuff,” David explained to her. “You can stay with us for a while.” 

“But Patrick-,”

“He’s going to have to deal with it, but he’ll be on board.” David already knew how Patrick would feel about this. “He’ll have to lose his at-home office, but he’ll live.” 

That made Marley laugh. “Thank you.” 

“Anytime.” David smiled back, standing up to get them both some water. 

“For a while, I actually thought you didn’t like me,” Marley admitted. 

“You’re right, I didn’t. I don’t like change, and my store was changing and my life was changing. It was just a big adjustment. I guess I came around.” David set the glasses on the table. 

Patrick came home an hour later, and David quickly explained to him what was happening. 

“I’ll talk to you about what’s up with Beth later, but Marley needs to stay with us for a little bit,” David told him. “She’s been in foster care for a while, her current foster parents aren’t the best, and she might get kicked out.” 

“I’ll get the guest bedroom set up.” Patrick immediately agreed. 

David kissed him. “Thank you.” 

David and Marley went to the house. It was a one-story brick house, that didn’t seem to have a lot of character. 

“Do you want me to go in with you or?” David asked her. “I can stay in the car?”

“You can stay here.” Marley agreed. 

Only ten minutes later, Marley came back with two large duffels and a backpack. She put them in the trunk and sat back down in the passenger seat. David saw her looking at the house. “You good?” 

“When I got transferred here, I thought things would be different. Guess not.” Marley sighed. 

“That doesn’t mean things can’t change now, right?” David assured her. “This can be a new beginning for you.” 

Marley nodded. “Yeah, can we go back?”

They arrived home a few minutes later. Walking into the home, Marley was confronted by Beth who was holding a picture behind her back. 

“Poppy told me you were staying here.” Beth grinned. “Can we have sleepovers?”

Marley beamed, not knowing what to say. Patrick noticed this, nudging Beth. “Don’t you have something to give her?” 

“Oh yeah,” Beth remembered giving her the paper. It was the two of them in front of the house. 

“I love it,” Marley knelt to hug her. “Thank you. And we can have sleepovers any night.” She was sure she was going to like it there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments always appreciated!


	16. The Meltdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth makes a scene during class. David and Patrick take refuge from Marcy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been so long! So sorry! School's been very stressful to say the least. My mental health hasn't been the best either. This was one of my favorite chapters to write, and I hope you guys like it as much as I do. Enjoy! (Go to my end notes too, I have a question)

“Good morning,” David said as he, Patrick who was also carrying Evie, came downstairs to the kitchen. 

“Morning,” Marley replied, making scrambled eggs. 

“Morning bug,” David kissed Beth’s head who was sitting at the kitchen table, still in her pajamas.

“You don’t have to make breakfast, Marley,” Patrick said, putting Evie in her bouncer chair. 

“Sorry, I didn’t know when you two would be up. This is for Beth and me.” Marley grimaced. “I can make you guys breakfast if you want.” 

“No, it’s okay.” David shook his head, getting his yogurt and Evie’s baby food from the fridge. “What are we feeling today bee, peaches, or mangoes?” 

“I think today is a mango kind of day,” Beth answered for her younger sister. 

“It is, isn’t it?” David smiled. 

Marley rolled her eyes at the conversation, still not sure how she ended up living here, but she loved it nevertheless.

“Beth, did you wake Marley up?” Patrick asked, making everyone coffee. 

“Mhm,” She nodded. 

“What time?” Patrick raised his eyebrows. 

“Only 5 am,” Beth shrugged. 

Patrick and David looked at each other concerned. “I’m sorry, Marley. Beth should know to wake us up and not you.” 

“It’s okay,” Marley shook it off, putting the eggs on two different plates, putting one in front of Beth and on the table mat next to her. 

“Thank you,” David said as Patrick handed him his coffee. Patrick sat next to him as his husband began to feed the six-month-old. They laughed as Evie just spat up the food. “That wasn’t a part of the deal.” 

“I’m still hungry,” Beth complained, somehow already finishing her eggs. 

Patrick stood up, looking in the fridge. “What do you want to eat?” 

“I don’t know,” Beth shrugged. 

“How about some cereal?” He said, looking in the pantry. “Here, we have your favorite, Lucky Charms.” He handed her the box. 

“Okay,” Beth replied. Patrick only turned his back for two seconds for Beth to grab the milk and drop it on the ground, making it spill everywhere. 

“Oh my god,” David muttered as Redmond ran into the kitchen, licking it all up. 

“I’m gonna go get ready, Beth why don’t you come with me?” Marley suggested, already ushering Beth out of the kitchen. Patrick led Redmond out of the room while David cleaned the mess up. 

Patrick and David let themselves laugh about the situation a few minutes later. “We’re fucked,” David commented.

“Just a little bit,” Patrick said, kissing him. 

“Beth is waking up earlier again, you know this means-,” David began to worry. 

“Her night terrors are probably coming back, I know,” Patrick nodded. 

“I’m really worried about her,” David fretted. 

“Me too, it pains me to know she goes to school every day and no one talks to her.” Patrick sighed, remembering what David told him a few days earlier. 

“We can hope today will be different,” David said, trying to be positive but not sure how.

“Yeah,” Patrick muttered. 

“Imagine us with three kids,” David chuckled. 

“It’s gonna be even crazier but I can’t wait,” Patrick smirked. “But not for a while.” 

“We agreed to a year,” David smiled back, reminding him. 

“I’m not forgetting,” Patrick said wistfully. Evie babbled, which made them laugh, turning around. “But for now, we can focus on you, right?” Patrick beamed, picking her up. His face immediately crinkled up. “Oh, that’s foul. I think it’s your turn.” He tried to hand her off. 

“I changed her this morning, it’s definitely your turn.” David shook his head. “I’ll finish cleaning the kitchen up. I can drop Beth off at school and I’ll get you a blueberry muffin before work?” 

“Deal,” Patrick nodded. “Looks like it’s just you and me Eves,” Patrick whispered to her as they walked out of the kitchen. 

After a mandatory stop at the cafe for muffins and croissants, David dropped Beth off at the elementary school. 

“Are you going to have a great day?” David asked as they were outside of the school. Beth stood still, facing the school. 

“How am I supposed to know?” Beth shrugged. 

“That wasn’t the right answer,” David shook his head, kneeling in front of her. “What do your Pops and I tell you every day?”

“I’m smart, I’m brave, I’m kind, I will have a great day.” Beth recited. 

“There we go,” David hugged her. “Pops will pick you up after school, okay?” 

“Okay, Daddy,” Beth said. “I love you.” 

“I love you too, bug.” David released the hug as she began to walk to her class. 

David met Patrick up again at the apothecary, muffin in hand. 

“Thank you,” Patrick happily said, taking the treat. “How was Beth?” 

“Seemed a little unsure today, but we said our little affirmation so hopefully that puts her in a good mindset?” David said, putting his bag in the back. “What is Marley doing today?”

“She didn’t mention much, just relaxing I guess.” Patrick shrugged. 

Stevie came in a little later in the afternoon, with her usual sarcasm. 

“Hey, Stevie.” Patrick greeted. 

“May I help you?” David said snarkily. 

“I’m off today, so I came in to chat,” Stevie commented, leaning on the counter. 

“Well, we are working so,” David remarked, going to shelve the body butter. 

Patrick laughed. “Don’t mind him, we had a hectic morning.” 

“Is playing house wearing you both down?” Stevie commented, snickering. 

“No, we’re fine,” David assured her. “It’s just...a lot.” 

“Mhm,” Stevie nodded. 

“She’s been a big help actually,” Patrick said. 

“Has she?” Stevie asked, tilting her head.

“Beth is waking up earlier again, and Marley watches her while we’re still sleeping,” Patrick explained. “Even though Beth knows not to wake Marley up.” 

“Poor thing,” Stevie pouted. 

“Why are you acting like this?” David questioned, standing by her. 

“I’m just surprised by your generosity,” Stevie admitted to David. “It looks good on you.”

“Thanks,” David smiled. 

“Do you want to see pictures of Evie? We’re finally bringing solid food into the mix,” Patrick brought up.

“I want to see those pictures right away,” Stevie ordered, awwing at them when Patrick showed her his phone. “Patrick, she’s like a carbon copy of you.” 

Although her hair was more bright red than auburn, Evie and Patrick were completely the same. They had the same dark brown eyes and the same freckles on their nose. 

“Ugh, she’s adorable.” David exhaled as he got a phone call. “Shit, it’s the school.”

“Well, answer it!” Stevie exclaimed as Patrick stood worried. 

David put the phone to his ear. “Hi? Yes, this is he. Is something wrong?” He asked. “You’re kidding me. No, she didn’t. I’m so sorry. Yeah, we’ll be there soon.” He made an angry face. “Fuck.” 

“What’s wrong?” Patrick immediately asked. 

“Beth had a meltdown at school and was throwing school supplies everywhere. Now she’s not getting off of the floor. According to her teacher she’s ‘going full armadillo’,” David told him, not sure what emotion to express. “She’s getting worse, Patrick.”

Patrick sighed. “Okay, I’ll call Marley if she can watch the store. Stevie, can you come with us in case we need someone to drive her home.” 

“Of course,” Stevie nodded. “I can pick Evie up too.” 

Marley arrived not even ten minutes later. “Do you know when you’ll be back?” She questioned. 

“No clue, is it okay if you close?” David asked. 

“Yeah, sure.” Marley agreed. “Go, Beth needs you.” 

“Thank you, Marley,” Patrick said over his shoulder as they left the store. 

They got into the car, pausing before starting the car. “God, I-I-I-,” David was speechless. 

Patrick held his husband’s hand. “It’s okay, let’s go get her.” He started the car.

They didn’t talk the whole way to the school, speechless from confusion and scaredness. 

They both got out of the car and walked into the school, quickly finding her kindergarten class. Her teacher, Mrs. Johnson was waiting for them just outside their room. She seemed like a generic kindergarten teacher, kind, maternal, one who would never raise her voice. 

“Hi, Bethany’s dads, Patrick and David, right?” She asked, shaking their hands. She paused when she looked at Stevie. 

“I’m just the ride home,” Stevie explained. 

“Can you tell us what’s going on?” Patrick asked. 

“Yes, of course. The class was drawing some flowers on their paper, and someone said a rude comment to her about her picture she was drawing. Beth didn’t like that and started throwing anything she could get a hold on. We got the principal, Dr. Watkins, involved right away and she tried to calm Beth down. She continued to scream and threw a fit on the floor. Now she doesn’t want to get up. Luckily the class was in recess during this.” Mrs. Johnson explained. It was the end of the school day now. “Dr. Watkins, and the guidance counselor, Ms. Taylor, are in there with her.” 

“Thank you,” David said. “I’m so sorry.” 

“We can all talk more in a minute.” Mrs. Johnson led them inside while Stevie waited outside. 

They walked in and saw the guidance counselor, Ms. Taylor, and the principal, Dr. Walkins, standing around Beth. She was curled into a ball on the multi-colored carpet, tears streaming down her face. The teachers backed up and let Patrick and David intervene. 

“Hey, bug,” David said, as they kneeled in front of her. “What’s going on?” 

Beth shook her head, not talking. 

“Beth, it’s okay.” Patrick touched her arm. “We still love you.” 

“Really?” Beth muttered. “I was bad.” She began to uncurl slowly. 

“Can you explain to us what happened?” David asked. 

“I got mad and then I got sad. I didn’t like it.” Beth tried to explain to the best of her abilities.

They hugged her close. Patrick looked at her, getting her mop of hair out of her face. “Aunt Stevie is going to watch you for a little bit, okay?” 

Beth nodded, her face red and wet from crying out of fear. “Oh..k-kay.”

“Sometimes we do things we don’t mean to do,” David said.

“Hey,” Stevie said, arriving in the classroom. “Ready, cutie?” 

Beth nodded sadly, detaching herself from Patrick’s neck as he let her go. “We’ll see you soon.” He kissed her cheek as David kissed her head. 

“We love you so much,” David told her as Stevie took her hand. 

“We’ll see you both soon,” Stevie said, grabbing her backpack and heading out of the room. 

“If you two could sit down, we have to talk.” Dr. Walkins exclaimed. 

“I want to be the first to say that Beth is a delight to have in my class. She is so kind and friendly. But I have also noticed some other things. I talked to her preschool teacher last year and she also noticed the same things.” Mrs. Johnson cleared her throat. “Beth rarely finishes her assignments on time in class. She can be moody, unfocused, forgetful, and unsocial. One time I had to ask her ten times to go to lunch but she refused.” 

“Well, then she had to have a reason,” David argued. 

“She told me she didn’t want to eat lunch with everyone else. She just wanted to eat lunch with me. Which I agreed to.” Mrs. Johnson explained. “Many times has she had breakdowns in class because she wanted one of you. Has she done this before or at home?” 

Patrick pursed his lips. “For a long time. It got better for a while, but then she got worse.” 

“She’s had meltdowns before, but never at school.” David shook his head.

“Has there been any changes in your family recently?” Dr. Walkins asked. 

Patrick cleared his throat. “Yes, actually. There’s been a few. I was in a bad car accident several months ago. I’m okay now, but it definitely was severe. We had a new baby this year, David’s sister got married, and she’s getting a new baby cousin.” 

“She’s also had a few hospital stays over the years.” David finished. “She has a congenital heart defect, but you probably already know that.”

“Yes, of course.” Mrs. Johnson nodded. 

“We’re going to let Beth stay home tomorrow. You guys can reconnect, talk it out to each other. This will not go on her record. We’ll try to get her caught up when she comes back.” Dr. Walkins noted. 

“I’ll try to implicate buddy work so no one feels as alone.” Mrs. Johnson said. “And if it helps, I can stay after school on Thursdays for tutoring.” 

“One thing that I believe will help would be a therapist, Beth needs an outlet to talk to and I think this can help. They might be able to pinpoint what Beth needs help with and how we can do that.” Ms. Taylor explained. 

“Thank you,” Patrick smiled. 

“Beth is a great student, but we need to make sure that she feels that way.” Dr. Watkins commented. 

They left the meeting, still sitting in the car. “We should’ve seen this.” David cried. 

“This happened at school, how are we supposed to know?” Patrick asked. 

“I don’t know,” David was at a loss for words. “Is something wrong with her?” 

“I know,” Patrick choked out. “I don’t know, David.”

“There’s been so many signs, so many. I ignored it.” 

“So did I,” Patrick shook his head. 

“We just need to be there for her.” David shrugged, not knowing what else they could do. “Can I ask you something that may come off as incredibly selfish?” 

Patrick looked over at him, smiling. “Of course.” 

“Can we just drive around for a second? Stevie ordered everyone pizza, so the girls are fine. They are about to put in Tangled.” David said, remembering what she texted them. 

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” Patrick agreed, putting the car in drive. 

David plugged in his phone playing their favorite playlist, full of Mariah Carey and Beyonce but also had Fleetwood Mac and The Beatles to keep both of them happy. 

“Are we bad parents?” Patrick asked as they drove. 

“I think that’s very subjective. I don’t think we can answer that.” David shrugged. “We might think we’re great parents but we’re actually terrible. Do you think we are?” 

“Maybe,” Patrick kept a straight face. 

David couldn’t help but feel the same way but wasn’t mad at him. “Can we go to your mom’s?” 

Patrick nodded. “Yeah, we can go visit.” 

“Thank you,” David said, grabbing his husband’s hand. “I’ll tell Stevie and Marley. I’ll warn your mom too.”

They began the road trip to Marcy’s. They stopped at a drive-thru to grab something to eat since they both haven’t eaten since lunch. David got his usual salad and Patrick got his fish sandwich that David always loved to make fun of him for. 

The couple remained mostly silent for the rest of the drive. They swayed to the music playing through the aux cord but didn’t dare to sing along. Stevie and Marley texted updates on the girls, knowing how much nervous wrecks the both of them were. 

After an hour of driving, they finally made it to Marcy’s new house. It was a small two-story house, almost resembling a cottage. Patrick smiled when he saw it. He loved how much it reminded him of his childhood home, with a huge garden and wood panelings. David looked at Patrick as he got out, taking his hand. 

“I love this house already,” David commented as they both went up to the yellow door. 

“So do I,” Patrick agreed, knocking on the door. 

Marcy immediately went to the door opening it. “My boys!” She called out, hugging them. She was wearing her usual shirt and cardigan, the clothes that always made people feel welcome.

“Hey Mom,” Patrick smiled. 

“Come in,” She welcomed them in. 

“I wish we could’ve visited your new place in a better situation,” David exclaimed, looking around the house. 

“Oh, that’s okay. Do you guys want anything? Tea?” Marcy asked, already walking to the kitchen. 

Patrick nodded, as looked at the light fixture above him. “That’ll be great mom, thanks.” 

They both followed her into her kitchen, sitting down on the island chairs. Marcy pulled out three mugs, setting them down on the counter then putting water in the water kettle. Patrick and David smiled at each other, loving how warm Marcy was when they needed it. 

“So what’s on your mind? I was a little sad to hear my granddaughters wouldn’t be here,” Marcy joked after she made the tea for everyone. 

“Actually, it’s about Beth,” David said, holding the mug in his hand. 

Marcy furrowed her brow, confused. 

“Um, she had a bad day at school,” Patrick lowered his head. 

“Well, everyone has those days,” Marcy replied. 

“It was different than that.” Patrick frowned. “She had a meltdown in class. Beth was throwing school supplies and screaming. Beth then went and curled up into a ball on the carpet.”

“Oh,” Marcy sat down across from them. 

“She said she didn’t like how she felt,” David grimaced. 

“They’re giving Beth the next day off from school,” Patrick finished. 

David got more frustrated. “Is there something wrong with our daughter?” He questioned. 

Marcy gave them a smile. “I don’t know. I was a nurse, I never specialized in this area.” 

“Then what do we do?” Patrick questioned, wanting to find an answer. 

“I know Beth has never been a social butterfly. I know it’s always been hard for her.” Marcy began, wanting to be as sensitive as she could be. “Maybe you should try to get her some help. Aren’t you two doing that?” She mentioned.

David and Patrick both looked at each other. “Yeah, we’re both seeing therapists, but it’s not couple therapy. I have a lot of built-up anxiety and Patrick needed to talk through some problems.” David nodded, holding Patrick’s hand. 

“That might be good for her,” Patrick agreed. 

David sat silent for a moment, thinking hard. “This isn’t new.” He shook his head, tears falling down. “Beth is painfully quiet. She’s been having meltdowns since she was little. We know she has separation anxiety. That isn’t new to us. Could it be something else too?” 

“Maybe?” Patrick answered, shrugging. Marcy stood back, watching their conversation. “We can talk to her when we get home.” 

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Let’s see what she wants to do.” David replied. 

They stayed for a few more minutes until they decided it was time to go. “Next time we’ll bring the girls with us,” Patrick promised as they walked out of the door. 

“You’re always welcome here.” Marcy reminded them, waving goodbye. “I love you!” 

“Bye Mom, love you,” Patrick said, getting in the car. 

As they were driving back, Patrick grabbed David’s hand comforting each other. “We’re gonna be okay.” 

“I know,” David sniffled.

They parked their car in the driveway, going to the door. Patrick waited before he put the key in the doorknob. 

“I love you,” He smiled. 

“I love you too,” David smiled back, kissing each other. 

Stevie must’ve seen they were home as she opened the door to see them kissing. “Welcome home.” 

“Hi, Stevie,” Patrick chuckled as they walked in. 

Remarkably, their home wasn’t a mess. Marley was watching some trashy teen show and eating popcorn on the couch. 

“Hey, the girls are in bed. Beth was pretty cranky so we just watched movies, hope that’s okay.” Marley commented, not keeping her eyes off of the screen. 

“Evie was fine. I put her down a while ago.” Stevie added.

“Thank you,” David said.

“Now, I’m going to go home and drink wine.” She left with a smirk. 

“Marley, why don’t you take the day off tomorrow? We can bring Beth to the store,” Patrick told her. 

“Oh, thanks,” Marley grinned at them before focusing on her show. 

“Night Marley, thanks again,” David said goodnight as they walked up the steps. 

“Anytime,” Marley waved. 

They went upstairs and carefully opened Beth’s door to see she was awake. 

“Hey bug, why aren’t you asleep?” David asked as they walked in. 

“I heard you come in and Auntie Stevie leave.” She answered as they sat on the bed. 

“You don’t have school tomorrow,” Patrick told her. 

“You’re gonna come to the store with us,” David pulled the covers back up over her. 

“Like old times?” Beth asked. 

“Exactly,” Patrick chuckled. 

“Are you mad at me?” Beth questioned. 

“We could never be mad at you, okay?” David smoothed down her hair as Beth nodded back. “You go to bed now, we’ll talk more about this tomorrow. We love you so much.” He kissed her head, standing back up. 

“Night, Bethie. I love you,” Patrick did the same. 

“Love you,” Beth yawned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question:  
> Should there be a slight time jump (a couple of months) when we'll find out if something is up about Beth or should I do a chapter on David, Patrick, and Beth's day at the store the next day? 
> 
> Please answer!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Comments always appreciated!


	17. Family Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth makes some new friends at their family reunion and one of Patrick's relatives makes an observation about Beht.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's going to be a busy and very stressful week. I leave on Saturday and I have many finals and quizzes this week. :( But I decided to write this to destress. Sorry it's shorter than other chapters, I'm just a little worn out. Enjoy!

One month after Beth’s meltdown, Johnny and Marcy decided they needed to bring their two families together for a big reunion. Marcy’s side, The Kline’s, and The Rose’s, decided to all meet up at Patrick and David’s house since they had the bigger backyard. 

“I don’t know what my dad was thinking when he assigned us as the hosts for this thing,” David complained the morning of, pacing around the living room. 

“We’ll be fine, David,” Patrick replied, holding Evie. 

“Also why does it have to be our families? We’re already married.” David said, exasperated, straightening anything he could find. 

“Well our families have only met at our wedding,” Patrick made a point. 

David shrugged, not knowing what to say. “Are you just gonna stand there? Or help me? Where’s Beth?” 

“She’s upstairs, helping Marley pack.” Patrick put Evie on her playmat. 

-

Beth humphed, sitting on Marley’s bed. Ever since Marley started living there, she’s begun to transform the room little by little. She started by getting her own duvet set and adding posters of Fleetwood Mac and Harry Styles to the wall. 

“What’s wrong, Beth?” Marley asked as she stuffed one last thing in her duffel. 

“I don’t want you to leave,” The young girl answered. 

“Well, you are having a family reunion today, I don’t want to get in the way.” Marley zipped up the bag. 

“I don’t think you will,” Beth argued. 

“Trust me,” Marley laughed. “Come on, let’s go downstairs.” 

Beth followed her as she went to the front door. 

“Don’t think you’re leaving here without saying goodbye.” David noticed as he and Patrick walked up to them. 

“It’s only one night.” Marley rolled her eyes. 

“You are taking my car so I don’t want to hear it,” David said sarcastically, giving her the keys. “Please be careful.” 

“I will!” Marley exclaimed. 

“And you’re sure you have your license?” David questioned. 

“Tell him, I’ll be fine,” Marley asked Patrick.

“She’ll be fine,” Patrick smiled. “You know you can stay here if you want. Even Stevie’s coming.” 

“I know, but I think it’s best if I go see one of my friends. I haven’t seen her in a while anyway.” Marley nodded. 

“Be safe, we’ll see you tomorrow.” Patrick waved as she began to leave the house. 

“Bye!” Beth called out. 

“Bye!” Marley waved back.

-

Only one short hour later, people started to come in. Patrick settled to his spot on the grill, making hot dogs and hamburgers. David set up the beverage station outside, in one of the roller coolers they have. Stevie entertained Evie while Beth played on the swingset. 

“Hello, my family!” Moira announced as she and Johnny walked in the gate. 

Beth ran up to her grandparents and hugged them as David did the same. Marcy came a few minutes later, with Patrick’s aunts, Slyvia and Michele, and their husbands, James and Richard. 

Soon Patrick’s cousins came as well. First came his oldest cousin, Ryan, and his wife, Megan. They have two kids, Thomas, who’s seven, and Josie, who’s three. Then his cousin Lauren came with her husband, William, and their five-year-old, Mabel. Next was, Camille. She had three kids with her husband, Nick. Harry was six, Jules was four, and Gracie was two. Patrick’s youngest cousin, Annie wasn’t married yet but she was only 28. 

“Besides Annie, we’re all around the same age. We’re all close. We still have a text chain,” Patrick told David the night before. 

Alexis and Ted were the last to arrive, being fashionably late as usual. David was already starting to chat up some of Patrick’s cousins, wanting to hear all about what Patrick was like when he was younger. 

“Honey, it looks like Beth is distancing herself from the others,” Marcy told Patrick quietly. Beth was in the far corner of the yard, picking at the grass. Redmond was protectively following close behind.

“Mr. Rose? Do you think you can step in?” Patrick asked him, as he was nearby. 

Patrick walked over to her, kneeling to her level. “Hey, Bethie.” 

“Hi, Poppy,” She said, lowering her head. 

“What are you doing?” He asked, trying to keep the conversation light. 

“Everyone’s scary,” She whispered. 

Patrick tried not to laugh. “I can assure you, they aren’t.” 

“How do you know?” She looked up at him. 

“I’ve known these people my whole life, I think I know,” Patrick nodded. “Come on.” He held out his hand. Beth grabbed it. 

He walked up to Annie who was enjoying a beer. “Beth, this is Annie. Do you remember her at the wedding?” 

Beth nodded slightly. “Hi.” 

“Is she good with you for a little bit?” He asked her. 

Annie waved him off. “Yeah, go.” She brought Beth to the picnic table. “You’ve grown a lot since I last saw you.” 

“That’s what happens,” Beth shrugged. 

“I see,” Annie smirked.

“Are you my aunt?” Beth asked. 

“Not really, but I can be your aunt if you want.” Annie smiled. 

“I like your overalls,” Beth complimented her. She had blue denim overalls with a yellow long sleeve underneath it. 

“Thank you,” Annie grinned, happy that Beth was beginning to like her. 

“Do you have a job?” Beth asked. 

Annie laughed. “Yeah, I’m a psychologist.” 

“I don’t know what that is,” Beth shook her head. 

“Well, I work with people and help them figure out their brains,” Annie explained, noticing how easily distracted she was. 

“That sounds cool,” Beth seemed intrigued. 

“Yeah, it is. I learn new things every day,”

They talked more about their day-to-day lives. Even though Beth was very introverted, she loved learning new things about people. They both learned that their favorite color was yellow, and they both had a dog. 

-

At one point, Alexis followed David into the kitchen to get more chips. “You’re quite the hostess, David.” 

“Thank you, Dad and Marcy basically threw this at us with no warning,” David commented, ducking into the fridge. “Marley left to go stay at a friend’s house, even though she didn’t have to.”   
“It might have been awkward, David. Even Stevie is a little out of her element,” Alexis pointed out. 

“Well everyone could’ve just dealt with it,” David argued, facing his sister. 

“Not for everyone else, for Marley. It’s a lot of new people to just throw onto a person,” Alexis grabbed a potato chip from a bowl. 

“I guess so,” David reluctantly agreed. 

“How are you?” Alexis thoughtfully asked. “Mom and Dad told us about Beth. I’m sorry.” 

David shook his head. “It’s okay. It’s different, but it’s been there the whole time.” 

“I know,” Alexis nodded. “I know with Marley and Evie here, it could be a lot to take charge of everything.” 

David furrowed his eyebrows. “You’re being weird.” 

“I’m just being nice, David!” Alexis exclaimed. 

“How are you? How’s Ted?” David changed the subject. 

“We’re great. Seven months, it feels like it’s going by so fast.” Alexis looked down at her growing stomach. “Ted is going to be a great dad, I already know.” 

David smiled. “I’m happy for you two. How are the symptoms? Stevie had it pretty bad.” 

“It’s not that bad, honestly. Just a little nauseous now and then.” Alexis shrugged. 

“Lucky,” David muttered, remembering Stevie’s terrible symptoms. “Are you ready?” 

“Yeah, we have a name picked out,....the nursery is almost ready,” Alexis replied with uncertainty in her voice. 

“What’s wrong?” David led her to the chairs at the kitchen table. 

“I don’t know if I’m ready. Ted and I weren’t even married yet when we found out. I’m gonna be a terrible mother, I don’t know what to do.” 

“Okay, then,” David muttered, grabbing tissues. “Hey, when Jessica got pregnant, that was the last thing I wanted in my life at the time. But Beth is somewhat okay,” That got a chuckle out of Alexis. “There was one time a few years ago when she decided to run naked out of the motel room, that was fun.” 

“I remember that,” Alexis laughed. 

“But look at her now, she’s fine,” David smiled. “I had no idea what I was doing. I was more unprepared than you are.” 

“That’s not fair,” Alexis shook her head. “This is not a competition.” 

“Fine,” David rolled his eyes, jokingly. “It’s a learning process for everyone, you’re going to be fine. And with Ted, I’m surprised he hasn’t baby-proofed the house yet.” 

“He’s starting to,” Alexis laughed. “Thanks, David,” She hugged him. 

“Anytime,” David hugged her back. “Who would’ve thought that we would be parents?”

“Definitely not me,” 

-

David walked back over to Patrick who was standing by the grill, wearing his “Best Dad Ever” apron. “How are things out here?” 

“Next batch of hot dogs are coming out soon,” Patrick reported. 

“Not what I meant, but I’ll keep that in mind.” David joked. “Where are our children?” 

“Beth is playing with Mabel on the playset, Annie is watching them. Evie is with Ted? I think? Maybe one of my cousins?” Patrick tried to remember. 

“Wait, Beth is playing with someone her own age?” David exclaimed, not believing it. 

“I know, somehow Annie got the two to play together. Even Mabel is a little skittish herself.” Patrick looked at the two girls, running around and laughing. 

“She’s never had a friend before.” David acknowledged. 

“I’m aware, but let’s not make it a big deal. This is normal.” Patrick reminded him. 

“I know, but the doctor said that because most kids miss social cues and lack social skills, it could be hard for her to make friends. But she is,” David gestured. 

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. This is a good thing, but it can still be hard for her in the future.” Patrick said. 

“Yeah, probably for the best.” David agreed while Patrick rubbed his arm. 

-

While things were wrapping up for the night, Annie walked up to David and Patrick as they started to clean up. 

“Hey, Annie! What’s up?” Patrick said, folding up the table cloth on their picnic table. 

“Um, how do I do this?” She muttered to herself. “I hate to ruin a great day, but while I was talking to Beth, I noticed something.” 

“What’s wrong?” David asked. Patrick put a hand on his shoulder, to try to calm him down. 

“She shows a lot of signs of ADHD.” Annie lowered her head. “I’m not sure, I’ve only interacted with her for a few minutes, but it was pretty apparent.” 

Patrick gave her the slightest smile. “Ann, Beth was diagnosed with ADHD last month. She was showing signs for a while, and she had a meltdown in her class and we decided to get her tested.” 

Annie got embarrassed and covered her face. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. You probably wanted to keep this quiet.” 

“Hey, it’s okay. You’re a psychologist, it’s kinda your job to do this. We’ve told Marcy and my parents. Somehow my sister found out too, but we’re not really keeping it a secret.” David commented, feeling more relaxed. “We’re trying to figure out if we want her to do therapy or put her on medicine if you have any guidance on that.” 

“It can be different for every kid. But from what I see with Beth, once she gets to know someone and is comfortable with them, she opens up and talks about anything to them. But I think medicine can be helpful as well. Again, it’s your call.” Annie explained to them. 

“Thanks, Annie,” Patrick said as they hugged her. 

-

“That was a lot,” David chuckled as they cleaned everything up from the day in the kitchen. 

“I really enjoyed that, like a lot,” Patrick threw an empty beer bottle in a trash bag. 

“Me too,” David agreed, washing dishes. He sighed, putting a plate in the cupboard. 

Patrick knew something was on his mind. “What’s wrong?” 

David shook his head, not wanting to bring it up. “It’s nothing.” 

“David…,” Patrick prodded. 

“I realized how small my family was today,” David gulped. “I feel so selfish for saying that, but as long as I could remember it’s always been Dad, Mom, Alexis, and I. Plus you, the kids, and I guess Ted now too. I never really knew either of my parents' families that much. They all died when Alexis and I were young.” 

Patrick walked closer to him, touching his shoulder. “Hey, you can feel selfish, it’s okay.” 

“You have such a great big family, everyone loves each other…,” David exclaimed. 

“You know your family loves you, don’t say that,” Patrick reminded him. 

“They just have different ways of showing it,” David laughed. “Thanks for talking me through that.”

“I am your husband,” Patrick smiled. He lowered his head, remembering something. “My dad left me a voice message today.” 

“Oh,” David took a step back, holding the counter.

“He somehow found out about today. He wanted to know how I was.” Patrick stopped talking, breathing heavily. “He moved to Toronto. H-He lives with his girlfriend, Karen. The same woman he cheated on my mom with.” 

“Okay,” David hugged his husband, letting him cry on his shoulder. 

“I hate him, David,” Patrick muttered. 

“He’s your dad, Patrick,” 

“When I was in the hospital, he didn’t visit me. He would always stay in the waiting room. Do you know how much that hurt me?” Patrick was almost shouting at this point. “It was just like when I was younger, he did the same thing.” 

David never realized that, but he should’ve. “Why would he do that?” 

“I-I don’t know..,” Patrick’s voice cracked. 

“What do you wanna do?” David asked. 

“I don’t want to do anything.” Patrick shook his head, picking up the trash bag again. “I don’t want to talk to him, he doesn’t deserve it.”

“You’re right,” David agreed as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. “Bug?” 

“I’m awake!” Beth made clear by running up to them. 

“We can tell,” Patrick commented as David put her on the counter.

“Why are you up at 10:35 at night?” David asked, looking at the clock on their microwave.

“I just had a good day, I didn’t want it to end,” Beth shrugged. 

Patrick and David smiled at each other at the pure innocence. “That’s a pretty good answer, well more importantly, why are you down here?” Patrick asked.

Beth pulled her pajama-clad legs closer to her. “Well, I heard you, and I was hungry. So I came downstairs.” 

“Do you want some cereal?” David looked in the pantry. 

“Mhm,” Beth nodded. 

“I’ll take some cereal,” Patrick added. 

David rolled his eyes. “Fine, but you’re cleaning up.” 

"Deal,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, this chapter means a lot to me. I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was 7. It affects me on a daily basis on how I work, make conversation, and make relationships with other people. It really hard to focus at points, but with therapy and medicine, I can handle it. Thank you for reading.
> 
> Comments and Kudos always appreciated!


	18. Marley's Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marley has some news at dinner and it doesn't go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know where to even begin. I'm so sorry for not updating this in FOUR MONTHS. I kinda ran out of ideas and started working on other stuff. I hope to get back into a somewhat regular updating schedule, but no promises. 
> 
> This is also one of the most anti-climatic chapters I've ever written. I just needed to post something and this kinda came out. This isn't the end of Marley's character! She will still show up from time to time. 
> 
> Would anyone like a few chapters on how the Brewer-Rose family deals with COVID and quarantine? Idk if it's too late or anything, but I'm kind of interested in writing about it. It would only be 3 chapters or so.

“I have something to tell you,” Marley blurted at dinner one night. They were eating pizza, a tradition they did every Friday night. 

“Go for it,” Patrick told her, putting his salad fork down. 

“Um, I have a girlfriend,” Marley muttered. 

Patrick and David looked at eachother, blank on words. “That’s cool, Mar,” Beth said while her parents remained silent. 

“Thanks, Beth,” Marley gave her a smile. 

“We’re both happy for you,” Patrick answered for both of them. 

“We went to the same high school, but we didn’t know each other,” Marley explained. 

“Funny because everyone knows everyone here,” David gave a fake smile. 

“No, she lived in Elmdale. But she’s thinking of moving down here. After college,” Marley muttered that last part. 

“So she’s older?” Patrick questioned.

“Beth, why don’t you go upstairs for a moment?” David told her. Beth reluctantly agreed and ran to her room. 

“I’m almost 19 now, she wants to be a teacher. That takes a lot of gut,.” She argued. 

“The Schitt’s Creek education system does not take a lot of guts. I could teach a class if I wanted to,” David argued. Marley shot him a glare. 

“Maybe you should rethink this,” Patrick told her. 

“I can’t believe you two! I thought you would be supportive of me, tell me you were happy for me. Why are you judging? You two have an age gap! It’s not a big deal,” Marley began yelling. “She actually gets me, she knows how it feels to have nothing. When she was young, her family growing up was poor, but her family was nothing but loving. I have never experienced a loving family. But when I finally get a taste of it, it already goes to shit,” Marley ran to her room. 

“Oh, fuck,” David muttered once she was out of earshot. 

“That didn’t go well,” Patrick shook his head. 

“I knew about it,” David whispered, holding his head. 

Patrick faced him. “You did?” 

“I heard them at night laughing on FaceTime,” David told him. “But I never said anything because I knew she would tell us when she was ready.” 

“Let’s let her be for tonight, we can talk about it tomorrow,” Patrick sighed. 

-

Beth creeped into Marley’s room. “Mar-Mar?” She asked. 

“You can come in, Beth,” Marley gestured. 

Beth climbed onto Marley’s bed, leaning into her side. Marley hugged her. “Are you okay? You look sad.” 

“Something’s just don’t end up how you want it to,” Marley shrugged. 

“Oh,” Beth’s face fell. “Well, you can always change it,” 

“What do you mean?” Marley asked. 

“Like just change it! Make it end up the way you want it to,” Beth tried to explain. “Change it!” 

Marley busted a smile, amused on how hard Beth was trying. “I think I understand.” 

“Good,” Beth nodded. “Can I meet her?” 

“Maybe someday soon,” Marley agreed. “She’s really cool.” 

-

“Why didn’t she tell us in the first place?” David asked as they were getting into bed that night. 

“I don’t know, David,” Patrick replied, shaking his head. “Maybe just let it be for the night.”

“No, I want to get back at it. Does she not trust us?” David questioned, furrowing his brows. 

“I don’t know, honey,” Patrick sighed, just wanting to read his book. 

“Seems like you don’t know a lot of things, doesn’t it?” David exclaimed. 

“David, I think she did tell us. She tried to tell us. Marley has been leaving us hints when we’re at the store.” Patrick explained. “She was the friend that Marley went to during the wedding and the reunion. I know it.” 

Gears were turning in David’s head. “So whatever-her-name is the ‘friend’ Marley is talking about?” 

“Yep,” Patrick nodded, they both sat at the end of the bed. 

“God, we’re oblivious,” David chuckled.

“Preoccupied might be the better word,” Patrick said, kissing David’s head right as Evie started to cry. 

They both slouched out of exhaustion. “Let’s go.” Patrick pulled David up. 

They walked into Evie’s nursery, where she was standing up at her crib, sobbing as she held onto the bars. She didn’t cry that much during the night anymore, but every so often she did. “Hey, what’s the matter?” David asked, picking her up.   
She quickly quieted down. 

“I know you don’t want to hear this, but I think she wants to move out too,” Patrick told his husband. 

“Absolutely not,” David shook his head. “That’s not happening….No.” 

“We can’t do anything about it.” Patrick replied. “We are not her parents or guardians, we don’t have any say on what she does.” 

David sighed, giving in. “You may have a point.” 

“She’ll be okay, nothing’s changing that much,” Patrick assured him. 

David nodded, trying not to think about it that much. “I know.”

“At least we have a while until Beth or Evie want to leave us,” He joked. 

“They’re not moving out until they are at least 22,” David replied, kissing Evie’s head. 

-

Marley had a day off the next day while the other two went to the apothecary. Stevie showed up in the morning like she always did when she was in town. This arrival was a little bit more special since she’s been gone for two weeks. 

“This is the part when you tell me you miss me,” Stevie said when David immediately hugged her. 

“Never going to happen,” David shook his head. “How was LA?” 

“Good! Your parents are doing great, the company is doing okay. We have some new annoying interns, but they’ll get used to everything.” Stevie laughed. 

“God help them if they have to deal with my father,” David frowned. 

“Hey Stevie,” Patrick waved. 

“Hey Patrick,” Stevie smiled. “How was David while I was gone?” 

“Just couldn’t wait until you came back,” Patrick teased, giving her a hug. “I could barely sleep over his crying at night.” 

“Okay, that’s enough of that,” David rolled his eyes, going to straighten up the sweaters. 

“How are the girls?” Stevie asked, following them around the store as they did their menial tasks. 

“The girls are okay, haven’t changed that much. Beth came home to tell us she made a friend at school but it was just an imaginary friend, so there’s that.” David told her, looking over at Patrick. “But Evie is great! Just full of spunk and fire.” 

Without realizing it, she began straightening the product. “Is Marley talking to you yet?”

“Nope, but we’re going to talk to her tonight hopefully.” Patrick nodded. 

“Are you going to let her move out?” Stevie questioned. “I mean, that’s just a big step.” 

“I guess we have to? We’re not her parents, we’re not even her legal guardians, we don’t have a say.” David shrugged, crossing his arms, repeating what Patrick told him the night before. 

“I guess you’re right,” Stevie agreed. “How’s Alexis doing?” 

“I think she’s trying not to freak out,” David said. Alexis was a couple weeks away from her due date. 

Stevie raised her eyebrows. “Do you think she’s ready?” 

“Ted made the nursery months ago,” He laughed, not wanting to answer. 

“You don’t think she’s ready,” Patrick looked at his husband, smug. 

“No one is! I wasn’t ready to be a dad,” He argued. “But now I’m a father to two girls, and I’m the best dad ever. She’ll be fine!” 

Patrick shook his head. “I think there’s definitely a tie on that.” 

“Fine,” David kissed him. 

Stevie cleared her throat, changing the subject. “We need to have dinner soon.” 

“Yes, we do. But we’re not becoming those adults where the only time they meet up together is over dinner every other month. We’re not those people.” David shook his head, refusing. Patrick laughed next to him. 

“Fine, we’re not. But I haven’t seen your daughters in a while and I know Beth misses me. That’s why I suggested it, dumbass.” Stevie retorted. 

“That sounds great, actually,” David took it back. “I’ll text you.” 

“We’ll see you, Stevie,” Patrick waved goodbye as she left the apothecary. 

-

Later that night, Patrick and David walked into Marley’s room. 

“Hey,” Marley said, still visibly mad at them. 

“We all need to talk,” Patrick admitted. “Can we sit?” 

Marley shuffled over on her bed to let them sit down. 

“We’re sorry how we reacted.” David said, biting the bullet. 

“Really?” She questioned. 

“As long as you’re happy, we’re happy.” Patrick smiled. 

“I’m sorry I kept it a secret, that wasn’t cool,” Marley apologized. 

“It’s okay, we understand,” David replied. 

“And you know about me-” 

“Moving out? Yeah, we figured,” Patrick nodded. 

“Oh, okay,” Marley nodded, glad she didn’t need to tell them. “And you’re gonna let me?”

“We’re not in charge of you, we don’t really have a say,” David stated.

“Thank you,” Marley smiled. “For everything.” 

“Not a problem,” David hugged her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a comment!


	19. The Fight pt 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Patrick have a big fight while Alexis is getting ready to have her first baby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter. I'm trying to get used to be at school again. I decided not to do chapters about COVID, we don't need to be reminded again about the disaster going on. Make sure you check the end notes! :)

“Beth, please put your shoes on!” David begged, almost chasing her around the house. “We’re already late.” 

“Not going to go, sorry,” Beth shrugged, burrowing her face in the couch pillow. 

“Bethany Claire, please,” David whined, already realizing this was going to get them nowhere. “Patrick! Can you please come down here!” 

“I’m not going to school,” Beth complained as Patrick walked down the stairs as if nothing was wrong. 

“Beth, come on,” Patrick said with Evie in his arms. 

“I don’t want to,” She shook her head. 

“This has been going on for almost a half hour now,” David told his husband. 

“Beth, why don’t you wanna go?” Patrick asked. 

“I just don’t want to,” She whimpered into the pillow. 

David and Patrick knew that something was up. “Okay, only today,” David gave up. “You and bee are going to Nana’s tonight, okay?” 

“Okay, Daddy,” Beth nodded. 

Patrick put Evie in her playpen while he and David walked in the kitchen. “Marley is watching the store today, we have a whole day off.” 

Patrick nodded, already knowing. “Yeah, Beth is acting weird.” 

“This is normal for her now,” David sighed. 

“We need to talk to her therapist about it,” Patrick said, making a cup of tea. 

“I know,” David agreed. He made himself another cup of coffee and decided to call his sister. He walked upstairs to his bedroom.

“Oh, hey David!” Alexis greeted him. 

“Hey, how are things?” She asked him. 

“Good, Beth decided to not go to school today. So that’s fun,” He said. 

“Is everything okay?” She asked, worried. 

David grimaced. “I wish I knew. Patrick and I knew something was up, so we let her for today. We’ll talk to her.”

“How’s Evie?” Alexis asked.

“She’s crawling now, we had to put baby gates up all over the house,” David chuckled. “She’s trying to talk but it’s just random sounds, really.”

“That’s precious,” Alexis awed. 

“How are you?” David cleared his throat. 

“I’m one week away from my due date, so it’s really any day now,” Alexis smiled. 

“I’m really excited for you, Alexis,” David grinned. 

“You guys are still on to visit in a month?” Alexis asked. 

“Of course, we wouldn’t miss it,” David agreed. “I wish we could be there, but everything right now is crazy.”

“You don’t have to apologize, David. It’s okay,” Alexis sighed. 

“How’s Ted?” 

Alexis laughed. “He’s been the best. Which I’m not surprised at. He’s been really supportive. The nursery is ready to go, everything’s ready.” 

“Do you think you’ll stay in New York?” He asked, secretly hoping she would come back one day. 

“Probably for awhile. With Ted’s vet practice and everything it’s hard to just leave. But maybe in the future, who knows,” She shrugged. 

“How’s Mom and Dad? Are they helping?” David asked. They were staying in New York to help them out. 

“That’s one way to put it. No, they’re fine. I’ve never seen them so excited,” Alexis grinned. “Dad’s already giving pointers to Ted.” 

“Of course he is,” David sat down on the bed. “Are you still nervous?” 

“A little, but I’ll be okay,” Alexis assured him.

David started getting emotional. “I better go put Evie down for her nap. I love you.” He lied. 

“I love you too, David.” Alexis said. “Bye.” They hung up. 

“Everything okay?” Patrick asked carrying their ten month old, Evie, inside the room. 

“Yeah, never better,” David grimaced.

“How’s Alexis?” He asked. 

“She seems great, everything going to plan,” David nodded, not realizing he was getting more emotional. “I wanna be there.”

“Me too,” Patrick sighed. He sat down next to his husband, rubbing his back. 

“But we can’t, there’s no way that we can,” David shook his head. 

“We’ll see them soon,” Patrick whispered. “I promise.”

David shook himself from his sadness and smiled at their youngest. “Won’t be long until she’s one.” 

“That’s crazy to think, and Beth turning six too,” Patrick said, handing her to David. “I’m excited to have another with you.” 

“Me too,” David gulped. “Not for a while though.” 

“Yeah,” Patrick agreed. 

For the last two weeks, it felt as though Patrick and David have been moving apart more and more by the day. Their conversations have been distant and one-worded, and their actions were platonic. They both knew, but were too scared to confront it. It was that night when David couldn’t take it anymore. He was hiding something from Patrick. It became unbearable not telling him. The girls were at Marcy’s for the night when they could finally talk it out. 

“I’ve already started doing some research about adoption-,” Patrick began as they were eating dinner. 

“I don’t know if I want another kid,” David spat out, putting his fork down. 

“-what?” Patrick questioned. 

“I don’t think we’re ready,” David tried to explain. 

“Well the adoption process is long, who knows when we will get matched!” Patrick tried to stay upbeat. 

“You’re not listening to me, Patrick,” He sighed. 

“Why aren’t we ready?” Patrick threw his napkin on the table. 

“The girls aren’t ready for us to throw another thing at them.” David exclaimed. “Beth is already struggling with school. Evie is still so young. You may be ready, but I don’t know if I can deal with that right now. We can’t even see my sister have her baby because Beth might have a meltdown in the middle of the hospital!”

“Fine,” Patrick shook his head. 

“Don’t act like that,” David complained as he walked away. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Patrick asked, voice getting louder. 

“You bring it up all the time, how could I do that to you?” 

“So you were just going to go along with it, go through the whole adoption process, and do nothing about it?” Patrick questioned. “Have a child you didn’t even want?” 

David rolled his eyes. “Don’t say that.”

“So you lied when you said you wanted more kids?” Patrick questioned. 

“No, I can change my mind about it.” 

“Shit,” Patrick shook his head. “Did you even want to have Evie? Or did you just go along with it like you did with Beth when she was born?”

“Fuck off, you know I love our girls more than anything,” David yelled. “How dare you.”

“Maybe if Beth had a normal childhood, she wouldn’t be this way,” Patrick muttered.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? Do you think I liked living in the motel?” He screamed. “It’s not my fault, Patrick! I would’ve left there if I could. There’s nothing I can do anymore.” He started crying. 

“David, that’s not what I meant,” Patrick said, already regretting what just happened. 

“You clearly did, you wouldn’t have said it,” David fumed, he started getting up. 

“Let’s talk about this, please,” Patrick pleaded. 

“I-I can’t be here anymore,” David cried, grabbing his bag before leaving.

David drove to Stevie’s apartment, knocking on her door. She opened it, surprised to see him in tears. 

“What’s wrong?” She asked, bringing him in. He sat down at her kitchen table. 

“We had a fight,” David cried. “Patrick and I.”

“About what?” Stevie poured them both some wine. 

“I said we weren’t ready for another kid. He didn’t like that.” He shook his head. 

Stevie sat across him. “What do you mean?” 

He explained the whole situation to her. 

“You guys need to talk about this.”

“We will, I’m just really upset right now.” He sighed. 

“You can spend the night if you want,” Stevie offered. 

“Thanks,” David wiped his eyes. 

The two spent the rest of the night in mostly silence, drinking their red wine. 

David and Patrick would spend the days following in almost the same way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What should the baby's name be? I have a few ideas for his name, but would love some suggestions. 
> 
> Comments and Kudos always appreciated.


End file.
